The Love of a Lycan

Lilac landed softly on the ground. Her barefoot touched the soil on the other side of the gate. She could feel the rumbles beneath it. The ground was shaking as if there was a monstrous creature trying to rise from beneath the ground, and set free.

Lilac tried her best to focus on finding Jedrek. But, where should she start looking? The castle was way too big for her to venture. The intuition that she always relied on, didn't work as it was supposed to when needed, no matter how hard she tried to.

Something was strange, and she just realized it now. She couldn't spot a single guard present on site. Where are those people? She continued to look, and look inside the empty castle aimlessly. Still, she couldn't find anybody to be around.

In no time, she reached the great hall. How could she forget that place? The one place that she destroyed the first time she met Jedrek. The sight of the great hall that she used to know, was now unrecognizable. The currently going on catastrophe had caused such horrible damages, even worse than the destruction that she made back then.

Through the huge line of windows at the both sides of the hall, she could see outside. There were smokes, curling up from the other buildings. What is happening here!?--she thought. As she looked around to figure out what she had to do next, suddenly a figure appeared from the opened door of the great hall. Lilac clenched her fists, and summoned some roots. She was ready for the possible battle.

But then, her tensed muscles were slowly relaxed the moment that figure emerged from the dusty hallway. It was no other that Eaton. "So, you decided to join me?" she asked. Her sarcastic nature was not a surprise for Eaton. Her sarcastic reply was not meant to drive him away. The smile on her face was a proof to her welcome for a companion.

"Where else do you think I should go?" Eaton shrugged his shoulder. "So, where do you think Jedrek is?"

Lilac had been thinking about that for quite a while. But unfortunately, just like Eaton, she didn't have any idea of Jedrek's whereabouts.

"Where is everybody? Why is there no one in here?" After roaming around the castle for a while, it was bothering Lilac to find that there was not a single soul she encountered there. "Did you see anyone at all on your way here?"

Eaton shook his head, "This is strange."

"Do you know anything about it?" She knew that Jedrek was a mysterious figure. But to find out of how secretive he was, even to his confidant, was surreal. It was clear to see that Eaton was the most loyal confidant, the most trustful asset that one could have in such a messy life. But why wouldn't Jedrek share his plan with him? This king was surely everybody's pain in the ass.

"He works in silence, alone." It was also hard to believe for Eaton. Meanwhile, Jedrek definitely wouldn't have thought that Eaton would team up with Lilac, and disobey his direct orders like this.

But then, when the two of them were in deep thought, Eaton raised his nose, and sniffed the air. He could smell someone's presence. "Who is there!!?" he said, while trying to distinguish the scent that he smelled. "Airin, is that you?"

Lilac followed to where Eaton's eyes laid. And there she was, a young girl that Lilac recognized. She had seen her before as a special servant in the north wing, where she had been living for a while back then. Her figure became even clearer when she approached them from across the room. The young girl looked at Eaton, and Lilac sheepishly. She bit her lips as she was nervous.

Airin walked closer with her head hung low, that it made her black hair covering most of her face. When Airin stopped, and stood in front of them, Eaton sighed helplessly. He said, "Apparently, it is not only us who disobeyed the Alpha king's order."

Lilac looked at Eaton with a questioning look. She was wondering how Eaton could come into that statement. Because as far as she could remember, the young girl was a special servant, thus she couldn't speak a word, nor hear a sound. But then, she remembered that lycans had their own special way to communicate with each other.

"Do you know where Jedrek is?" asked Lilac immediately. She really didn't hesitate, and didn't seem to care to beat around the bush. They got no time to be wasted on some little chat. A great disaster was about to happen, and there were concerns at their hands.

The young girl glanced at Eaton before she walked towards the door. From what it seemed, she was trying to lead the way to where Jedrek was.

==============

"Oh I thought she would lead us to the secret place inside the library." Lilac said, because they were running towards the north wing, the place where Lilac resided before. Lilac recognized that place right away while running. How could she forget about that place? I have so many fond memories about that place--she thought sarcastically.

"We will go to the secret place, but not from the library. That place had been destroyed anyway. So you can't come from there. We are taking another route, another way in." Eaton explained to her.

Lilac raised her eyebrows at Airin's back, who was running in front of her. She didn't expect it, and was rather surprised at how much the girl knew about the palace. For just a special servant, the girl knew more things than she seemed. After turning at several intersections, Airin finally stopped running as she stood in front of a painting that was as tall as herself. And then, she pushed it aside.

Behind it, there was a tunnel. Another secret passage. It was cold, and dark in there. The sunlight from the window across them touched only the first few steps of the entrance. When they walked further after those steps, the darkness would engulf them wholly.

Lilac held onto Eaton. The guardian angel couldn't see anything in the dark. She couldn't help but to wonder how the two creatures who were with her, didn't seem to have a problem moving around in that dark tunnel.

The steps that they took echoed off the walls around them, as they made their way through the surprisingly long pathway.

"This tunnel is taking us right to Diana's chamber," said Eaton, breaking the eerie silence.

"Do you think Jedrek is still there?" Lilac asked. She was a little bit nervous to see Jedrek at this point. The destruction that was happening in the city was the proof that Jedrek had done what he was supposed to do a long time ago. But still, killing Diana in order to break the vicious cycle was something entirely different.

How was Jedrek now? She was her mother after all. And besides, they didn't know what was waiting for them once they reached the end of this tunnel. Despite the chilly atmosphere surrounding them, sweat was already glistening on Lilac's forehead. The passageway now rose on an incline that seemed as if it would never end.

It seemed to Lilac that she was now entering into another illusion, because she was not able to see anything in the dark. She let out a sigh in relief when they finally stopped. "There is a high chance that Jedrek is behind this door, are you ready?" Eaton asked, putting his hand on the surface of the door that Lilac couldn't see. He was waiting for her confirmation to push open that door.