"The Grand Witch greets His Majesty. And His Highness."
Both Lance and Kael nodded at the woman as they dismissed the others from the large hall. The doors closed behind the pack mates, leaving a heavy silence in their wake. Even though everything was in chaos, inside this room, there seemed to be calm.
Both Kael and Lance wanted nothing more than to go to Emira and Zen, to see them with their own eyes, but each minute seemed to twist and change the situation further instead of settling it. Nothing was moving the way it should have.
At this moment, neither man had it in him to even analyze their own heartbreak over the breaking of the bond they had come to cherish. Even knowing, logically, that the slave bond would have to break for the Mate bond to form, the sense of loss was no less. It lingered like an ache beneath the skin-dull, constant, impossible to ignore.
The Grand Witch studied the two men carefully, her sharp eyes missing nothing. Then she nodded once.
"Thankfully, the slave bond that you had formed with the Dark witch has been broken," she said. "So the influence of the dark magic should be far weaker now. It will not vanish entirely, but it will no longer cloud everything it touches. At the very least, it will be easier to show you your past."
"What past?" Lance asked carefully.
The older woman smiled faintly. "Your Majesty. The reason I sent Prince Zen back after warning him about the dark witch, while keeping Dorothy with me was because, before proceeding any further, I needed to confirm your past." She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. "I am sure you know of the Three Lords Prophecy and understand that the three of you are reincarnations of the Lords from that era."
Lance and Kael nodded. They had heard that truth countless times over the years and had come to believe it. It was said that originally, the three Lords were not brothers, but friends. It was only because of the curse that they had been forced to bind their souls together to prevent severe repercussions to the existence of all humans.
The Grand Witch nodded again. "Good, then," she said. "Since you already believe it, it will be easier to show you glimpses of the past. Doubt would only weaken what you are about to see."
She turned slightly, gesturing toward the exit. "Let us go now. We need to be with Prince Zen for this as well. The past is not meant to be witnessed in fragments. That way, all three of you can look into what once was and understand what still binds you."
Once they entered the room where Zen lay, his eyes closed, they did not talk much. Kael had already informed Zen of the reason... Without further ado, the Grand Witch caught their hands and started chanting...and soon a vision appeared.
"Why do you insist on avoiding us, Mira?" Zai asked as he followed the girl deeper into the forest, his footsteps steady behind hers.
Mira did not stop walking at first. The trees grew thicker around them, until she finally turned, her hands clenched at her sides. "My lord," she said quietly, though there was strain in her voice. "What can I do? I have already told you that my heart belongs to someone else. I have told you that I will stand by his side, no matter what. And yet, you still insist on courting me." She shook her head slightly. "What else can I say?"
She lifted her hand then, holding it up between them. "Please look carefully at the ring on my hand, my lord. This ring belongs to the man I plan to spend my lifetime with. I have already chosen."
Zai’s gaze fell to the ring, his jaw tightening. "Then you will have to take it off, Mira," he said slowly. "You are our fated mate."
"No," Mira said at once, her voice firm. "I am not." Her fingers curled around the ring protectively. "I belong to the Dark Master."
"Mira!" Zai snapped, his patience breaking. "You are being stubborn. The prophecy said..."
"I don’t care what some prophecy said."
Before she could step back, Zai pushed her gently but firmly against a tree. The bark pressed hard against her back as he leaned in close, his presence overwhelming. His face was inches from hers, his voice low.
"Feel carefully, Mira," Zen said. "You belong to us. You know it in your heart." His gaze dropped briefly, then lifted again. "Your body knows it, too. That is why you avoid us. Because when we come close to you, you feel it. You yearn to come to us."
"I yearn for nothing of that sort," Mira said, forcing herself not to turn her face away. Her breath was uneven, but her words were clear. "Please step aside, my lord." She swallowed, then added quietly, "Your fated mate is Shiqi."
"No, she is not. Yes. She is..." And just when Zai was about to refute the words, Mira looked into the man’s eyes and said slowly, as if casting a spell. "Your chosen fated mate is Shiqi Stav. And not Mira. You will choose her on the night of the Golden moon while I will be with the one I love. You will also convince the other two to do the same..."
Zai nodded then. As if under a spell, he turned around and walked away, as if he had even forgotten the existence of the girl he had followed into the forest.
Even as Zai was unable to see what happened, the grand witch continued to show them the past," You shouldn’t have influenced their choice, Mira." A voice spoke softly. They watched as a man stepped close to her and she turned around and said slowly," I had no other choice. I cannot stop things any longer... "
"Hush. Tomorrow is the Golden Moon. Once that is done, everything will be okay..."