Silverton's Journey

Chapter 12

Mornings in Nordlys were not usually that cold. Perhaps it was the absence of someone beside her that made her feel that way.

She forcefully dragged her feet along the road while wiping her tears. Her eyes constantly became wet and blurry, and Ophelia was tired of wiping them. It hurts more than it should.

Leon was a ruthless murderer. He had slaughtered countless people in his entire life, only to cause more damage in the future. Ophelia did not understand why he wanted the destruction to happen so much. She did not understand why Prince Erik wanted the prophecy to come true. No one would want to ruin their own kingdom, would they?

"The weakling who told me to raise you, the destruction, to save his kingdom."

Save his kingdom? The reminiscence of Leon's hostile words made Ophelia feel like there was something more to it. She wondered as she walked, slowly discovering the prince's true purpose.

What if he wants to destroy the enemies? Ophelia knew it made more sense. Everything became clear to her then. She remembered what Leon told her during their stay at the abandoned city of Silverton.

All of the daylight vampires were wiped out by the werewolves, sixteen years ago. We could do nothing at that time. They knew all our weaknesses. You were lost, but luckily, you were alive. But King Halvor was ignorant. He knew about the prophecy, but he never cared to look for you. And six years ago, the werewolves struck again. They killed King Halvor and his Queen, while the crown Prince Erik ran away. Evan sat on the throne and he is still naïve. Nordlys is trembling in his hands.

Maybe that was why the prince wanted the prophecy to come true. He wanted to make up for his mistake. Right after the realization, Leon's last words to her came into her mind.

"I would love to see you burn to ashes if he wasn't."

She stopped walking and stood still, trying to calm down. But she could not. She broke into tears again, falling on all fours. This time the words stabbed deeper. Why does it hurt so much more than it should?

Ophelia was all alone then. Leon was not there to accompany her. She knew that without him, she would be in danger. Even though he was a monster, she felt safe with him.

Why did he leave like this? Does my presence bother him that much?

Ophelia did not understand. She wiped her tears, stood up straight, and looked behind. There was no one on the road. She felt foolish hoping to see Leon coming back.

Why would he even come back to her?

She did not want to go back to him on her own, either. It would hurt her ego.

Ophelia stopped hopelessly and looked around the empty road. There was no one around, so she had only one choice left. She would be on her own from then.

The girl tightened her hold on her bag and took a deep breath. She frowned and strode forward, almost running. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she did not care. She would go wherever fate took her.

I'll be alright. If the foretelling is right, nothing will happen to me before I destroy the enemy kingdom.

When she saw the reddish trees of the nearby woods, Ophelia ran faster toward them. She was hungry and that was the only place where she could find something to eat. There had to be some berry bushes.

Ophelia's stomach growled as she desperately looked for bushes. Feeling exhausted, she collapsed on the ground and rested against a tree. Letting out a sigh, she looked into the endless wine-red trees of the woods. She noticed some trees had black leaves as well, just like the one she was sitting under.