The Devil's Cursed Witch

As Ember and Erlos approached the midpoint to the palace, an unusual silence enveloped their path. Erlos, attuned to the subtleties of his surroundings, detected a shift. His ears twitched, prompting him to lower his voice.

"Lady Ember..."

"Can you just call me Ember?" She interrupted him, reminiscent of our trip to the witch's clan.

Erlos hesitated, acknowledging the transformation in her status. "Your position has elevated significantly since those days, now being a lady of the palace and officially His Majesty's mate. It doesn't seem appropriate for me to..."

"Just when we're alone. I don't have friends anymore. Morph was the only one..." Her voice trailed off, a hint of sadness lingering in her eyes. She missed him.

"Ember," Erlos finally addressed her by name, "I'll call you Ember when we're alone, alright?"

She nodded, and Erlos, with a subtle gesture, conveyed a sense of unease. "Something is amiss," he whispered, motioning for Ember to remain silent.

His keen eyes scrutinized the surroundings, focusing on the wooded area along the roadside. In the next instant, he extended his hand, and an arrow and bow materialized within it.

He took aim in a certain direction, preparing to release the arrow. However, before he could loose it, two figures emerged from the woods, hands raised in surrender. Clad in dark tunics, matching pants, and boots, their appearance and aura distinctly set them apart from any supernatural race in Agartha.

"Humans?" Erlos muttered, catching Ember off guard. As the two men approached with raised hands, signaling surrender, Erlos instructed Ember, "Stay behind me, and don't dismount the horse. I'll handle these intruders."

Tensing the arrow against his bowstring, Erlos conveyed his readiness to shoot at the slightest provocation.

The presence of humans in territories belonging to supernaturals was highly unusual. Sneaking in posed a challenge, as their human essence would inevitably be detected. How did they manage to infiltrate so deeply without getting caught?

As Erlos contemplated this, his brows furrowed. Humans were not a bearer of good news for Agartha.

"How dare you trespass into our territory?" Erlos growled, his voice laced with warning. "Do you have a death wish?"

In response, the two men knelt and bowed in their direction. "We bow to the Queen of Agartha," they uttered simultaneously.

Upon hearing this, Ember was taken aback, while Erlos maintained his firm grip on the bow and arrow. "State your purpose, or I won't hesitate to deal with trespassers decisively."

"We are here to speak with Her Majesty, King Draven's mate, Lady Ember," the two men calmly replied.

"You are not deserving," Erlos retorted, his gaze moved to look up in the sky. "There will be consequences for crossing the border."

The patrolling guards of the divine eagle clan had spotted them now that the two humans were out in the open.

"Please, Your Majesty, hear us out," the two men pleaded. "It has taken considerable effort for us to reach you. Once we've spoken, you can decide our fate."

The guards, with wings folded back, landed on the ground and glared at the humans. "How dare you appear here? How did you manage to conceal your presence in our territory?"

Approaching the humans, one guard scrutinized them closely. "They've used magical spells to mask their essence from supernaturals. That's why no one could sense them."

"Spells? Humans colluding with magical beings again?" the other guard stated coldly. "Let's take them to Vice Commander Logan."

"Please, Your Majesty, listen to us first."

"You two..."

"Wait," Ember intervened, "Let me hear what they have to say."

As Ember asserted herself, the others had to listen to her. "Speak."

"Our leader wishes to meet you, Your Majesty," one of the men spoke.

"The reason?" Ember, though surprised, maintained a calm demeanor.

"You are human, and our human clan is proud to have you as the Queen of this Kingdom," the man explained. "Our clan simply wishes to convey our best regards and seek the honor of meeting you."

"Apologies, but I cannot," Ember stated.

"Please, Your Majesty," the man pleaded, "Unless you agree, someone will always come asking the same. We cannot give up. So, please consider our request."

Was it a plea, a threat, or a tactic to annoy her?

Ember observed them silently for a moment before responding, "I will have to discuss this with His Majesty first. If he approves, only then can I consider your request."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We believe His Majesty cherishes you, and he would agree to what you ask for," the man expressed.

Ember raised a brow, sensing an implication in the man's words—to play on her position as the King's mate and sway his decision. They must be aware of the tendency for divine beasts to pamper their mates.

"I will think about it," Ember said, directing her gaze to the two divine eagles who had apprehended the men.

With that, Erlos and Ember departed for the palace.

Meanwhile, in Draven's study, the fire fae, Helia, had arrived to discuss matters with the King, having left Ember's side.

"What's your conclusion after today's lesson?" Draven inquired, seated in his chair and fixing his gaze on the red-haired woman across from him.

"It was her first lesson since the incident on the day of mourning. As anticipated, her core remains volatile, making it challenging for her to fully control her powers. Today, I focused on engaging her in basic magical abilities, deliberately keeping her unaware of her potential beyond that. If she attempts to exceed a certain threshold while wielding her power, there's a risk of losing control and causing destruction. The mate bond between you and her has been instrumental in stabilization, preventing a more chaotic outcome but it is not how excatly we expected it to be. The bond between you two is still not enough to stabilise her core entirely and risk always lay in her way of using her power," Helia explained.

"What do you suggest to address it? You command the fire element and likely possess more profound knowledge than others," Draven inquired further.

"Fire is inherently the most potent and destructive element, but the fire Lady Ember possesses is no ordinary flame. It is the blazing fire said to have originated from the depths of hell, capable of annihilating all realms. The goddess of fire once saved all the realms by controlling this hellfire as only she could do it. But legend said she perished. Given how Lady Ember possess it now, we know who she is, the reincarnation of the deity of fire."

Draven nodded as this much he had understood long back but yet so many questions were unanswered. If she was a deity, then how come he knew a deity as the woman in his dreams was Ember's previous life. The questions had no end at all. But for now, stabilising Ember's energy core and protecting her from any possible harm caused by her own powers, was the priority.

Hellia continued, "Though she was a deity in her previous life, now her body is of human and it won't sustain this power for long," Helia conveyed with a somber tone. "We must find a solution urgently. Only the head of the witch clan can provide answers, but as far as I can discern, we either locate the missing part of her core or find a potent force to aid in stabilizing it. Until we achieve core stabilization, everything surrounding Lady Ember, including herself, remains at risk. Our priority is to shield her and her surroundings by finding a resolution."

Draven simply nodded, and Helia departed. He lingered in his chair, deep in thought about how to safeguard Ember from her own elemental attribute, a force that threatened to consume her sooner or later.