“How did you know?” Freyah spoke, a heavy crease between her brows.
Mrs. Ilden sank back into her chair, her face drained of color, a mix of panic and shock etched across her features. She opened her mouth, then closed it, struggling to find the right words. “That’s what you call it?Senectus Subita?” she murmured, shaking her head. “I never knew your people had a name for it.”
“Yes. Did you know it existed?”
Mrs. Ilden nodded, and that was already a further advancement on their research than anything they had accomplished so far.
“Do you see anyone glowing in Golheim?”
“The man selling flowers glows in a faint shade of green, and the librarian lady glows in a faint shade of red,” Alissa responded.
Mrs. Ilden chuckled in disbelief, her voice tinged with unease. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, child. Secrets like this should be buried deep until time carries them away with the wind.”
“Do you know what Senectus Subita is?” Alissa asked in urgency, her feet tapping the floor in an anxious rhythm.
The teacher looked horrified. “Yes. But trust me, girl, you do not want to dig any deeper. Forget about this—the less you know, the better.”
Alissa perched on the edge of her chair, grasping the woman’s hands. Her voice shook with emotion as she spoke. “I need to know the truth, please,” she begged. “My daughter is the one glowing in Bryniard now, Mrs. Ilden. I have to do something.”
Mrs. Ilden’s lips parted, absorbing the weight of Alissa’s words. Sympathy for these women she barely knew welled up inside her as she considered their suffering in Bryniard. She hesitated. This was the first time she was facing the decision to trust someone with the secrets she’d kept all her life. Seeing the despair of this mother in front of her, Mrs. Ilden couldn’t deny her the truth.
She sighed. “What I’m about to tell you must not be repeated elsewhere.”
Tension rose in the room as anticipation of what was to come grew. Alissa’s unease was such that she was unsure whether the prospect of receiving useful information was a good or a bad thing.
Without another warning, Mrs. Ilden started telling the story that would change everything.
“Hundreds of years ago, there was a prince known for his altruism and generosity. His name was Thayan.” Their faces lit up at the sound of the prince’s name.
Mrs. Ilden noticed but continued her story without disturbances. “Thayan loved traveling the kingdom to visit the people in need and aid them in whatever it was they were in need of. Although back in those days, the people of Heldraine thrived, there was always something a man with his power could do for the good of others.”
Mrs. Ilden stopped for a moment as she recollected the details of the story she had not confided in anyone before. “Thayan had not only the power that came with his influence of being royalty, but he also had the power of magic of flesh and time. He was aZeity, one of the most powerful ones in Heldraine’s history.”
Not a single book Alissa had read telling the tales of Thayan mentioned that he had the gift of magic running through his veins. Eldric seemed as perplexed as she at hearing the story.
“In one of Thayan’s travels around the realm, he visited the city of Bryniard. A place that back then received visitors from all over Heldraine. That is when he met Karine. With her unusual blue eyes and silver hair, she could easily be mistaken for an angel. She was as beautiful inside and out. Thayan was instantly fascinated by her, and he fell in love at first sight as if she were the one capable of casting spells and not him.”
Alissa quickly identified Karine as the girl she had seen in her dreams; the beauty she remembered was exactly the same as Mrs. Ilden described. She grew more curious by the second, wondering how this story would end.
“Thayan spent six months trying to win her over. When he did, and his immeasurable love was finally reciprocated, Karine died in her sleep from a rare condition no one ever figured out.”
Alissa and Freyah gasped while Eldric listened carefully; the only sign of surprise was the slight raise of his eyebrows.
“You can only imagine the way Thayan must have felt when he woke up by her side, and her body was stiff and cold,” Mrs.Ilden continued. “When you love with such intensity, losing the person you love is more devastating than losing your own life. It is like slowly being sucked into the darkness, as if the purpose of life had been lost. Believe me, I know.”
It was clear to Alissa why Eldric held his teacher in such high regard; everything about her radiated wisdom and passion. She spoke with such propriety that it was impossible not to admire that woman.
“Lost in his grief, Thayan did the unimaginable. He took Karine to what he believed was a sacred place and used his magic of time to bring her back to life. Maybe you are not familiar with the concept of the Magic Edictum, but resuscitating people is one of the forbidden acts. By doing that, he violated the very laws of magic.”
“Oh no! We were told breaking the Magic Edictum could mean the magic turning against its holder,” Freyah said, biting her nails in anticipation.
Mrs. Ilden’s eyes widened. “You are correct, dear.”
Eldric placed his hand on his chin. “What happened then?”
“When Karine woke up, alive and well, Thayan saw white and black glowing threads encircling her body, flowing and dancing around her in harmony. He was instantly enchanted by it, imagining it was the magical way to bless them together into a life of union for all time. If only he had realized back then that the black was death, gradually consuming her soul, and the white the life slowly slipping through her fingers.”
The threads of life and death.Alissa had always suspected.