Chapter 165 - Breaking through time and space

"Come, Dear Guest. I shall guide you back to the prince's chambers."

Leviticus wanted to scowl. Chambers are supposed to be resting quarters, especially at this time where people tend to be more conservative. Being a prince himself, Levi knew well how the system of the castle works. The maid, who was seen in the family picture, was walking with him. Leviticus knew this was the undead prince's doing, but this power is too great to even be considered artificial.

Placing someone under another time and space will take a lot of mana… but then again, warlocks can also use the dark magic, which is derived from death—the opposite of mana, which comes from life. 

"What's your name?" Leviticus asked. If he remembers correctly, maids are required to answer the nobles in honesty whatever information they want. Not complying with this will result in treason. That was how harsh the practice was, but the common folk had it worse. Commoners must succ.u.mb to those higher than they are or else they would be sentenced to death. Therefore, the lecher of a king was able to lay his hands on many women without effort. They cannot disobey him and pay for their life.

"My name is Ariadne, Dear Guest." The maid answered.

As per old traditions as well, the maids cannot ask those higher than they are any questions. Not even their name. Leviticus glanced around the castle. It didn't seem 'dark'—in fact, it was bathing in light. Leviticus' appearance which was a bit on the grimy side, but the maid Ariadne didn't seem to be bothered.

"What noble house are you from, Ariadne?" Leviticus asked.

Usually, maids are still of a noble lineage, so they are safe from a death sentence. They could only be exiled or fired, but there was no punishment that could be heavier than that for a noble.

"I am a commoner, Dear Guest." Ariadne politely answered as the both of them walked the hallways. Leviticus continued to peer to the paintings and murals. "The king only took pity on me and hired me as the maid of his castle."

THAT was not in the history books.

Leviticus had wondered whether he was in an illusion set by the undead prince or not. If he was, then the information, the people here, might not be existing people and were just fragments of his imagination to toy with him. But the interactions, the ambiance, and everything felt so real. Only stronger forms of magic can mimic and glamour spells so strongly to the point that nobody could tell the difference between reality and a spell.

Leviticus continued to walk onto the path. The range of the undead prince's magic is immense. Did he just form a castle on his own?

No. That can't be. There was no way the magic could be THAT strong to encompass an entire castle. Leviticus knew that warlocks can have magics hat were just beyond what the mages can do. If the undead prince really did create a warp in time and space… then to what extent? Leviticus ought to find it loophole and then go to Faustina.

"Miss Ariadne," Leviticus exclaimed. "I want to explore the castle more."

"Hmm?" Ariadne tilted her head. 

Leviticus only smiled. It would be hitting two birds with one stone. There is still that pressing matter about Ariadne having an anti-magic, so he had to talk to her more. 

"Would you escort me? I'm sure… HE could wait."

The maid Ariadne looked hesitant for a while, but she agreed. She couldn't deny the guest's request, after all. Although Leviticus feels bad about ordering her around, there is still the fact that he had to escape this place.

Illusion or not, he had to figure out how to leave as soon as possible. Encountering the undead prince would be a bad move, so he had to search for alternatives.

"I understand, Dear Guest. Where would you like to go first? The libraries where the magic relics are also found? The garden? Villas?" 

Leviticus gave her a smile. 

"Your chambers, Miss Ariadne."

**

"M-my… my chambers?" The maid's beautifully sculpted face, void of imperfections, blushed red. Her already rosy cheeks fumed. From this kind of reaction, Leviticus was able to derive the fact that the maid was coy… or at least, the maid in the spell of the undead prince.

"Yes." Leviticus smiled. He was feeling bad quite a bit because 'they' feel human. Too human, in fact. If the undead prince was as powerful as this, how is he going to handle the queen, or king?

Now Levi understood why they ought to escape the undead royals.

"U-um… but…"

"I'm joking," Leviticus exclaimed. "Why don't we… explore…"

Leviticus blinked. "Huh?"

"Guest?" Confused, Ariadne looked back as Leviticus stopped to his tracks.

Leviticus stared at the entirety of the space. The halls… the paintings, the same murals…

The same vase and the falling of the petal.

The same scene repeating again.

"Dear… Guest?"

Leviticus walked towards the vase and then picks the rose petal that fell. He then raised his gaze to the ceiling.

The point of time. The same repeating patterns.

A loophole in the magic.

Leviticus' eyes widened. Why didn't he think of it sooner?

"Miss Ariadne…" Says Leviticus. "Are you real?"

"Huh? What… uhm, yes?"

"Are you real," Leviticus thumped his staff to the floor, summoning a magical circle around Ariadne. "Or are you not?"

The terror in Ariadne's face and the visible confusion gradually eased as her lips curved into a smile. She then giggled silently until it emerged into a peal of cacophonous laughter that was no longer marked as her own voice.

"Ah, you figured it out… I knew it. You won't buy the rumors about Ariadne's 'anti-magic' if she was only a commoner."

Leviticus held his staff tightly.

Ariadne's face grew twisted and more sinister. Her eyes turned red as her body slowly grew rotten.

"But will you be able to escape this time and space?" She asked. "Leviticus of Atziluth?"

Leviticus scowled. "How did you know my name?"

Ariadne only smiled.

"He who controls time and space," she says as darkness brewed and loomed to Leviticus, which now turned into smoke-like chains. "Will be able to see past and present."

**

"More, more, more! Give me more of your mana!"

A burst of discordant laughter echoed across the vast as chains of darkness enveloped towards the struggling girl as she held her staff. The chains made from a dark smoke were holding her together and were absorbing a hefty amount of mana from her. Faustina grunted as she feels her body being pulled from the inside as the undead prince absorbs her mana. She tried to struggle, but the chains were keeping her from doing anything else other than to helplessly staring at the undead prince whose face was now gradually restructuring itself.

"Aah. Despite my constant absorption of your mana, it isn't even being depleted the slightest." The undead prince exclaimed.

Appearing before Faustina was now a young man with eyes of deep ruby and delicate yet sharp features of a handsome boy wearing rags and tatters. He didn't smell foul now. Faustina recognized his face in an instant. This was the look of the boy who was in the portrait he had seen in the castle.

"I have to savor this moment before the reset," says the undead prince. "It's so rare for me to have my body rejuvenated again…"

Faustina grunted in pain as the chains of darkness wrapped around her tightly.

"You… you made it possible," the undead prince sauntered his way towards Faustina. "Your mana doesn't deplete… maybe I could keep you here, forever with me…"

The undead prince's hand reached to caress Faustina's cheek, as gently and affectionately as he can. His chains, which were made from his own black magic, loosened.

"You're the first who made me feel human again." The undead prince said. "Maybe you could stay here. Maybe I could keep you."

Faustina stared at the undead prince helplessly. Even if her mana wasn't close to depletion, she was still nearing her limit. The constant strain on her body was too much, so she could barely struggle despite the chains loosening completely. The undead prince caught her body as he carried her around his arms.

"Warlocks can mark their possessions, so they won't be able to leave no matter the case," says the undead prince as he lays Faustina to the cold, carpeted floor. He then unbuttoned his ragged tailcoat, revealing his lean body, and exposing his back which showed a small firefly insignia. Faustina was falling unconscious from the exhaustion, but her mana was still continuously coursing through her veins.

"My father marked my mother and that maid, so they couldn't leave his side." He exclaimed. "Maybe I could mark you as well, so you could keep me in this state."

Faustina's vision was dimming. She could see the undead prince reaching to her clothes. She slowly raised her hand to stop him, but he only entwined his fingers with hers.

"Don't worry. You'll be the first one to be marked." He exclaimed. "You delicious mana will keep me in this state, and I will be able to create another time and space so you don't have to fear this place."

"I… don't want…"

The undead prince leaned closer to Faustina as he held her chin.

"Don't worry." He says. "I—"

"FAUSTINA!"

Before Faustina's vision completely dimmed, she saw the expression of a certain boy who she only knew just on the day of the exam. His usual gleeful face was now filled with una.d.u.l.terated rage.

"How did you break through time and sp…a..ce…"

The undead prince's eyes widened as a rock spike pierces through his back, where the emblem of the firefly was carved into.

Leviticus then rushed towards Faustina as he held her by his arms and enclosed a barrier around the two of them. Leviticus gritted his teeth as he wrapped her cloak back to her. He then turned to glare at the undead prince, who was now fading away into thin air as he screams.

"No… I don't want to be in the darkness again…! No…! NO!!!!"