" You don't need to worry about her, she is long dead."
Emmy got up getting shocked and saw Alex staring at her face expressionlessly, Emmy could not believe that he didn't even bat an eyelid when he mentioned that his childhood friend was dead.
Emmy felt relief somewhere, a tiny spark of bliss was also forming inside her and she, herself found it weird. Hearing the news of someone's demise, gloating over it is not good yet Emmy's lip curved up.
Although Alex was sitting there without any expression on his face, he quite well understood that Emmy felt a relief that one of her rival counts were down according to her. Emmy had a habit of noting down what happened on each day. So, one day Alex had accidentally read a page where Emmy had written about her possessive mind whenever his engagement with Agrona is mentioned.
" Alex, what do you mean by Agrona is dead? Why are you so sure of it ?".
For a brief moment, Alex remembered those cut hands over the wall with a ring on it and how Agrona asked him to fetch the ring specially designed for her and she put it on her hand on their engagement day. She made sure to make everyone believe that this particular ring was gifted by Alex to her. That time, Alex didn't mind it as he thought she was helping him out in everything but now thinking about it, it was all her scheme to separate Lamia and him.
" Why am I sure of it?" Alex sneered.
" Emmy, remember when Juliet and myself went to that cavern, after entering the second room, there we saw two hands perfectly cut and hanging on the walls. Also, there was a message on the wall written as - " THESE BLOODY HANDS REPRESENT THE FATE OF A RENEGADE". Upon inspecting those hands, I confirmed those to be of Agrona's as it had a ring which she had pre-ordered herself and then asked me to fetch it."
Emmy thought about it calmly, then asked Alex who was now staring at the ceiling, " Did you find her body there because just by seeing those pair of hands we can't be sure that doesn't mean that she is dead, right? "
This time Alex looked at Emmy and answered seriously, " Emmy, I know you might find me cold-blooded, but now her death doesn't concern me anymore..We, ourselves were not able to understand who actually mass killed all the top guards of the different clans. By the way, we found the token of the head guard of the Esbertrazian clan but when the black swirl attacked Juliet, we lost it."
Alex skillfully omitted the part where he jumped in front of the black swirl to protect Juliet but what he didn't know was, Juliet had already shared everything with her friends,
"Anyways whoever did that deed, I guess, he was on our side as that person killed all of the guards. I think that person might have given Agrona's body as food to sharks in the sea."
Although Alex said the matter as a joke, Emmy had a sudden glimpse of a dream which she had seen once.
Inside the glimpse, Emmy could see her foot was over a woman's fair neck, throttling that lady to death. In her hand was a sword with a strange symbol covered with blood completely.
" This is the end of the arrogant worm, well! Her body shall never be sent back instead will be given to the sea creatures, so let this be the final warning to the family clans of Vilmonark. Salian or Agnartic, Anyone…. I repeat, if anyone comes to hunt me down. I don't care about sending them back to hell."
Emmy's brain then reverted her conscious mind back to reality, Emmy was unusually breathing much to adjust her irregular heartbeats. She looked at Alex who had already slept but her sleep was long gone.
If her guess was correct then the woman whom she had crushed under her feet was none other than the first princess of the Agnartian clan, Lady Agrona Agnartic.
" Oh dear, so it means Agrona is already dead and all those glimpses were true."
Emmy got up to get herself a glass of water, taking the glass, she opened the window and stared at the old graveyard. The piece of land from where it all began and tomorrow morning, they will step into a place where no one has stepped into for the past four years.
" I know something dire had happened here before and this land had seen it. Whatever it was, I will uncover whatever is being hidden from the outer world."
Suddenly Emmy saw as a shooting star over the sky and she was mesmerized by it, she gazed at the moonlight night sky even after that star passed away from her sight. unbelievingly, Emmy saw a familiar pattern in the stars. The design looked like the combination of a straight and inverted cone with a star in the midst.
Emmy tried to think where she had seen such a pattern but suddenly a dull pain on the left side of her head made her stop struggling to continue. She sat on the chair and started to draw the pattern of the design. Paper after paper, she crumpled up and threw away drawn images.
Next morning, when Alex opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the side of the bed where Emmy slept was vacant. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he touched that side to find it a bit cold.
" So she didn't even catch a wink of sleep yesterday night."
Alex stretched himself and got out of the bed to see Emmy sleeping over a pile of papers. With just one glance, Alex knew that Emmy was trying to draw some strange symbol. He took a parchment in his hands and looked at the design clearly.
It was a combination of two cones, one straight and other inverted joined together to form a hollow star and in its middle, there was another star. Surrounding the complete design was a black snake and it looked like the snake was staring back.
Chills ran through Alex's body after seeing the design. He then looked at his beloved woman, who was tired and had light shades of the dark circle over her eyes.
Alex took Emmy and made her lie down on the bed. Then after freshening up, he took the parchment to master Rotrigues and master Neshag.
Both of them were shocked to see the design. Although master Neshag never left his cold expression, the panic in his eyes was clear whereas master Rotrigues hands trembled while receiving the parchment from Alex.
" Brat, did you draw this picture?"
Master Rotrigues carefully asked Alex. Sensing this design must be of utmost importance, Alex told the truth which truly shocked both masters.
"Neshag, how can Emmy foresee things which she has never seen in her life. I don't know whether you remember it or not, but the last time when I saw this design was at the battlefield when the great lord had pressed his sword on our enchantress's neck and warned her never to step her feet inside VilmonArk."
" This is the sword of Rahasy, only the true heir of the Yalasgue clan can use this sword. In our clan, always the sword finds the next heir, so it is considered to contain the entire mysterious power of our clan. After Maaran, the sword hadn't chosen any heir, so it is freaking me out now. How can Emmy see the symbol of the sword of Rahasy? She is not at all related to the bloodline of the Yalasgue clan. "
Masters and Alex decided to keep this information as a secret until Emmy finds out more herself. This idea was suggested by Alex as he has seen when Emmy tries to remember something by forcing her memory, she experiences pain and faints. So, both masters decided to keep it as a secret for the time being. They also believed in Emmy.
Soon the group got ready for the answer reveal of the first clue for the hunt of the Ravenics. Emmy asked Juliet to explain things to others.
"The reflection of it in the frozen waterfall is actually the plunge pool just on the opposite side of the waterfall. Yesterday, after Emmy asked to check the lakeside, I discovered this plunge pool and why it is called the frozen waterfall, you can see it after you reach there. "
Juliet along with Mike started walking to the northern side of the lake while others followed them quietly. While walking, Emmy could feel a different sort of energy in the air. It was revitalising her whereas draining energy from others. Master Rotrigues was looking at Emmy who was beaming with energy as they were reaching near the waterfall.
After walking almost a thousand yards, Juliet pointed to the plunge pool from the top of the waterfall and except for Emmy and herself, others were amazed to see the effect of the frozen waterfall even if the waterfall was healthy and flowing intact.