Chapter 5 - Rising Fury

A harsh knock sounded in the room while Veloria was wrapping Aryana's arm. Veloria's eyes widened in fear as she froze. Fear crept into Aryana's chest, causing her heart to miss a beat for a brief period. At this hour, a knock could only indicate trouble. Veloria's attention then turned to the far side of the room, where a secret door was hidden behind a tapestry. “It’s the secret door,” Veloria whispered, “It could only be one person” Aryana's thoughts relaxed as she nodded. The secret door leading from her rooms to a system of underground tunnels beneath the palace was only known to a handful. Victoria, Veloria's sister, was one of those individuals. Veloria hurried across the room and yanked the tapestry out of the way. A figure in dark robes slipped inside after she opened the door just enough. As soon as she stepped inside, the woman lowered her head, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders. “My lady," Victoria said in a gentle yet dignified tone, With a little smile, Aryana sagged deeper into the chair, "Victoria, you have just arrived at the perfect moment” “I heard you were wounded," Victoria said, evaluating Aryana's condition right away with her keen eyes. “Wounded? It's just a mere scratch” she said, trying to sound tough. Before focusing entirely on Aryana, she took a quick look at Veloria and asked, “Could I have a look?" With a nod, Aryana allowed Victoria to come closer. She rubbed her palms together as she approached, closing her eyes to concentrate on her inner energy. Her hands started to emit a faint glow, a gentle blue light that glistened in the dark room. Her magic seemed to resonate through the air around them. Victoria covered Aryana's damaged arm with her hands. The intense pain that had taken root in Aryana's skin was relieved by the warmth of her healing magic. Under Victoria's meticulous care, the ripped skin slowly started to mend itself back together, and the wound started to heal. As the pain subsided, Aryana's body relaxed, “Thank you” she whispered, Victoria kept her focus on the healing process and smiled without saying anything. Under the layers of Aryana's garment, another serious wound had been concealed. She moved her hands to her side. Aryana could feel the strain of the battle leaving her muscles as the magic took effect. The room was still for a few minutes, interrupted only by Victoria's gentle hum of magic. By the time she took a step back, Aryana's injuries had almost completely healed and were only slightly scarred. "My lady, you ought to exercise greater caution," Victoria said softly but firmly. "You over work yourself” "Victoria, I'm not allowed to be careless. Not with everything on the line” Victoria was about to answer when a gentle breeze that carried the subtle smell of smoke and fire through the room interrupted her. Aryana sat up straight in her chair, her eyes narrowing like she was trying to read the area. “What is it?” Veloria asked, observing the abrupt tension in the room. Aryana rose slowly, her eyes averted as though she could sense something in the distance. “The kingdom is about to experience another turmoil," she uttered softly “Valtheon has stirred once more” she continued Victoria glanced at Veloria in concern. Both of them understood what that meant. Aryana paced the room "They hate my father,” she whispered in a distant voice. "For outlawing magic. for imposing death on their people” “You think they'll hit again?"Veloria asked, “Oh, they will” Aryana answered confidently, "It is just a matter of time” Victoria's brow was furrowed as she crossed her arms, “They are deeply hateful and they won't give up until they've demolished everything your father has put together” she said and Aryana chuckled, “They are most welcome to try” With anxiety, Babek furrowed his brow as he watched his wife pace their chambers in frustration. "That's not something you know for sure," he said warily, “There is no evidence linking her death to Kaveh” With her eyes blazing with unshed tears, Sylara shot back, "There is no proof that he wasn't" "Babek, I am sure that he was behind it, she posed too much of a threat to him, so he had her killed” “Mark my words Babek, I will answer blood for blood” she vowed. Knowing that he could not argue with her on this point, the king sighed. Since Sonya's passing, Sylara has held Kaveh responsible. For her, it had turned into an obsession, a never-ending fire. Previously, he had tried to convince her that her sister's death was a result of the chaos that had swept over the borderlands at the time, but Sylara was unconvinced. She will never forgive Kaveh because, in her mind, he killed her sister, And she was right.