SPELLBOUND

Evie was locked in his room again. She had angered him in the kitchen when she tried to negotiate with him on the matters of her comrades. He had wanted to literally bind her to him, and of course – she refused. Her immediate rejection caused him to fly into a rage. Though he did not shout at her or harmed her, Evie could feel it in his suffocating aura that was leaking out of him and the gravity in his eyes. And then he had gone and locked her up, even using some strange magic as an impregnable wall around her, and he did all that without even letting her speak any further or hearing her out.

What he did made Evie rage in anger as well, making her even more convinced that this cruel man was not her Gavriel. Her Gavriel would never do this to her. Her Gavriel would never lose his temper with her, nor treat her so dismissively. He would always be so considerate of her feelings and would be ever so respectful with his conduct. This person, to put it simply, was a plain brute!

Utterly frustrated and now anxious at what she must do next, Evie paced back and forth inside the room. She had tried to leave, even using some of her magic that Zanya had taught her in Crescia but nothing worked. The barrier was too strong. His magic was just too strong for her to overcome.

Clenching her fists tightly, Evie angrily yelled as she gave an annoyed kick at the invisible barrier surrounding her, venting out her frustration and anger. How could she find any answers when she is being imprisoned like this? That person is just… impossible!

"Gavriel!!" she called out miserably as she fell to her knees. She was about to break down and cry when suddenly, she heard a voice.

Evie frantically looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice but she saw no one.

"Princess…" the masculine voice called out softly again.

"Who are you?!" Evie asked, warily.

"I'm right here, princess." That same voice responded patiently.

Following the source of the voice, Evie saw a figure of a man right outside the barrier. He had long hair that was tied back at the base of his neck and a flowing beard, and she noticed with surprise that his skin was dark. His form was suspiciously similar, just like when Zanya had appeared before her in her spirit form! Was this another faery trying to communicate with her? But he was…

"Fear not Princess Evie, as I cannot harm you. My physical body isn't here so you don't have to be afraid." The man said. His voice and the look in his eyes were gentle.

Breathing out and relaxing a little, Evie asked again. "Who are you? And what do you want from me?"

"I'm Claudius." He introduced. "I'm the teacher and mentor to your husband, Gavrael."

Evie took a while to process what the man said. After which she frowned and shook her head. "My husband is Gavriel, not Gavrael." Evie corrected.

"Gavriel and Gavrael is one and the same person, Princess." The man said as if emphasizing a fact to her.

Confused, Evie frowned hard. "I don't understand… I know it's the same body, but this Gavrael who is inside my husband's body right now, is clearly not the man I had married." She was so conflicted now.

"Please allow me to explain everything, Princess. I am here to help you and tell you everything you need to know about Gavrael." The man said and Evie swallowed. Her heart started beating fast. Was she finally going to get the answers she was looking for?

Claudius smiled at the young woman and then without beating around the bush he immediately started to tell her what had happened. The reason why Claudius was here in the first place was due to King Belial. He had asked Claudius for a favour and to lend his son a hand. After the king found out that his son had still ended up meeting the girl, he began to worry about him. The king had never told his wife the tragic fate of their son because he knew the queen would break down and might… no, she would insist on going to the surface to help him sort things out. And that was something the king could not allow. Because if the queen goes back to the surface again, she might never be able to return to the Under Land again. He had already lost his son in some sense. He could not lose his queen too. She was the love of his life that no one or nothing can replace.

Therefore, King Belial sought for Claudius' help. The king had requested of him to watch over Prince Gavrael. He had told him to make sure that Gavrael's new life as Gavriel will not end up tragically again. And that was why here he was now, trying his best to get some things sorted out.

Gavrael could not see or hear anyone from the Under Land, whether they were in their spirit form or not. It was because that was one of the prices that he had to pay when he left the Under Land. He could never return to the Under Land and could never see nor hear anyone from there anymore.

Thankfully, this princess was a light fae descendant so she could see and hear Claudius with no issues at all. Since there was no way for him to communicate with Gavrael, he could only explain everything to this princess. He hoped that she would believe his words. Although he could not disclose to her too much on what had actually happened right before Gavrael turned back time, Claudius made sure to explain to her in detail that Gavrael had turned back time for her sake.. And because of that, he had to endure the consequences of using such a powerful spell, resulting in the current split in his personalities.