Chapter 312 - Why Are You Here?

They looked at each other and then looked at the spot where Jorick was standing earlier. It was as if no one had been there. Both men rubbed their eyes and blinked twice. 

"Did you see Jorick standing here earlier?"

"Did you see a shimmering ball of light?"

Both men asked the questions simultaneously. They scratched their heads at the same time. They've just confirmed that everything that happened was real. Jorick truly disappeared.

In the dungeon, Azer felt the strong magic. He shuddered at the thought that the Crown Prince had a strong wielder of magic by his side. It wasn't the first time that he detected that kind of magic, but it was still so weak back then. It was still weak at that time, but it had enough power to awaken the Orb. 

'Who is it?'

Azer felt a strong feeling of fear. He wanted to escape, but his power was depleting day by day. Redivo would ask him a thing or two, and if he refused to answer, he would not force him. It became a routine that he already got used to it. He had no idea what they were trying to do to him.

He was expecting to see the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Tissuria, but they did not even let him see their shadows. If they were using mental torture, they were doing a great job. He felt more uncomfortable and ill at ease thinking about what they planned to do with him. He felt like his sanity was leaving him day by day.

Unlike the prison cell they had in the Dark Magic faction, the dungeon where he was being held captive was clean and had a very good living condition. His meals were delivered on time, and all the dishes had always been delicious. 

'Are they trying to buy me using good accommodations and delicious food?'

Azer pulled his own hair and kept thinking of possible reasons why he was being treated fairly, and he seemed like a guest devoid of freedom to roam outside his room. He was even given some reading materials to pass the time.

He might bang his head on the wall when he learned the real reason – Redivo had no idea how to torture him for the moment. He was busy with his investigation and just told everyone to treat the prisoner fairly for a while until the return of Vaughn and Zenia. They would be the ones to decide on what to do with him.

* * * * *

The Captain managed to avoid the whirlpool, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. The whirlpool was pulling the ship into its vortex. The Captain tried his best to hold the ship together and be able to pull it out of the whirlpool.

"Captain, there's a storm and it's heading our way!"

The usually composed Captain's face began to show signs of anguish and tugged the wheel of the ship with all his might to get out of the whirlpool.

"All hands on deck! Try to calm the passengers and tell them that I will do everything I can to bring us to safety."

The passengers were already panicking. The wails of young children and some of the women could be heard. Vaughn and Zenia opened their eyes at the same time – they sensed danger.

The couple looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement. They went out of the carriage immediately. From the path leading to the surface of the ship, they saw the passengers panicking. 

"Ahhhh!"

"Mother, where are you?"

"Sir, have you seen my wife?"

"Please don't let anything happen to us."

"A storm is coming!"

It was loud and noisy. The dark clouds suddenly appeared, and the Captain knew that it was something premeditated. His face became even more distorted. He knew that it was caused by dark magic. He did not have any other choice but to counter it with his own magic. 

"Everyone get out! Leave me here alone," the Captain ordered the crew.

"But, Captain…"

"No buts. All of you, get out!"

The crew scurried hurriedly. They knew the temperament of their Captain. It was best for them to follow his order, even though they feared for his safety.

"Be careful, Captain."

The second-in-command closed the door behind him and prayed for the Captain's safety. When everyone had left, Captain Dumont raised his hand and uttered an incantation. The ship began to move forcibly away from the whirlpool. A strong opposing force was literally yanking the ship away from the whirlpool.

Captain Dumont was someone hailed in Prazia and escaped to Shadora when things went awry in his homeland in the event of the King's death and the ascension of King Odhran. He was one of the loyal supporters of Prince Joram. He wanted to be together with Prince Joram wherever he may go, but he and the others who went with the Third Prince that day had decided that it was best to go their separate ways. It was a tactic to divert the pursuers of Prince Joram.

They had decided to reconvene at the time and place that they previously discussed in case something bad occurred, and they were left with no other choice but to flee separately. After two days, he waited for a long time at the designated time and place, but no one came. He used his ability to feel the presence of his companions to know their whereabouts, but he did not sense any of them. He could faintly sense Prince Joram's presence, but he was too far away.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head to pay his respect to his dead companions. They must've given their lives to protect Prince Joram. He turned and looked at Prazia for one last time before he boarded the ship to Shadora, where he had decided to stay. He had concealed his magic for a long time and would like to keep it that way if not for the presence of dark magic surrounding the ship and the sea around them.

All of the forgotten pain crept inside his heart once more. He lost his family and friends because of that dark magic. Now, it came to hunt him once more. He knew that it grew stronger than ever. He also knew that the Dark Magic Lord had no ability to detect people's aura in a long-range. He could tell that the Dark Magic Lord was still in Prazia while creating havoc on his ship. The Dark Magic's Lord power had become stronger than before.

Captain Dumont knew that he must save the passengers. Whether it was him that the Dark Magic Lord was after or someone else, he should not let the innocent people suffer.

"My child! Save my child," the woman shouted on top of her voice.

Zenia heard it and ran as fast as she could. The child was tossed out of the ship, and Zenia saw it. She held on to the rope that was tied to a beam and swung towards the child even though a huge wave was coming at her.

"Zenzen!" Vaughn shouted when he saw that the wave was going to clash to his wife's body.

He moved as swiftly as he could, but the ship rocked once more, and he lost his footing and toppled. Zenia managed to avoid the wave, and her rope went slightly off course, but she managed to get back on her original track. The child was still in mid-air. He was holding his breath while keeping his eyes closed when Zenia caught him.

"There, there, you're safe now. Hold tight."

The child looked at his savior, nodded his head, and held onto Zenia tightly. She circled once and landed gracefully on the ship.

"My child!" 

The woman ran toward Zenia and the child. The boy jumped down from Zenia and ran toward his mother.

"Mother!"

Vaughn let out a sigh of relief when he saw his wife unscathed. He ran to her and hugged her tightly. Zenia noticed that his body was trembling. Vaughn thought his heart jumped out of his chest when he saw Zenia jumped out of the ship and was about to get crushed by the waves.

Zenia hugged Vaughn back, and her embrace became tighter. She felt guilty for making harsh moves, but she had no other choice.

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't do it again."

Vaughn's heart calmed down a bit when she apologized. At least she knew what she did was reckless, although he couldn't deny that it was the fastest way to solve the problem. It was the fastest but also the most dangerous option.

The mother and son wanted to thank Zenia, but the sea became more violent. The ship's crew escorted them to a safe place. Captain Dumont was beginning to get weak. The Dark Magic Lord smirked when he felt the weakening of his opponent's power. He just wanted to cause some panic at first, but he suddenly felt the presence of Zenia in the ship. He did not expect that he would discover the hiding place of the rat that he had been hunting for a long time. 

The Dark Magic Lord was certain that the domineering aura that he sensed belonged to Zenia. He already met her in Venetia when she was still young. He just recently acquired his new power of sensing someone's aura even at a far distance. He was not sure if Vaughn was with her at the moment. 

King Odhran already told the Dark Magic Lord that Odette wanted to marry the Crown Prince of Tissuria, and he promised her that he would try to grant her wish. But, Odette had no other wish. The Dark Magic Lord thought that it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of Zenia. He would do everything he could to make Vaughn fall for Odette. It would be easier to manipulate a depressed man. 

The Dark Magic Lord began his next attack when he got hold of Zenia's exact location. He directed his dark magic toward her and planned to let the raging sea devour her.

Bzzzt!

A blinding light suddenly appeared on the deck near Zenia and Vaughn and formed a protective shield around the ship. The dark magic literally bounced off the shield.

The Dark Magic Lord coughed out blood when his dark magic was deflected. Captain Dumont felt the new presence and gasped. It was a familiar aura. He hurried to the deck and saw someone standing there near Vaughn and Zenia. It was someone unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

"Why are you here?"

Zenia blurted out and did not even notice that everything calmed down around them.