Slipping Through The Cracks

 Zeya still felt unnerved despite the fact that the monster had stopped attacking.

Having peace right after a storm of chaos was not something that she had expected, nor did she want it.

There were more eyes on her now, with visitors coming in almost every day to check how she's been fairing.

Nox remained by her side the entire time, following her wherever she went like a shadow, ironically enough.

 The first ever guest to visit her was the red-faced, sobbing Claire, who was profusely thanking whatever god she believed in for Zeya's survival.

Ever since then, the maid would not leave her side for even a second, making sure she was always nearby if Zeya were to ever need her assistance.

 The wounds were slowly but surely healing with the bleeding beginning to slow as the days passed.

 She had stopped sleeping altogether since she first woke up; even the pills that for her insomnia was not working anymore.

Margaret suggested Zeya to stop taking any medication altogether, suspecting that maybe the symptoms were responsible for her deteriorating state.

The food the maids served her was unappetizing to even look at.

She had to get better, but it seems like her body was refusing to do what she wanted.

 She wandered the palace a lot these days, hoping to get her mind off of everything.

Even then, she noticed that there would always be a few servants that lingered behind her, watching her every move.

Varen stopped coming to see her after that one day, but he made sure to have someone watch over her whilst he was away, wherever he was.

 She was sitting at the porch of the royal garden when the scenic view of the exotic plants was enveloped by a familiar dark, dusty cloud.

She heard faints screams from all around the premises, suggesting that the servants were also witnessing the same thing she was.

 "Did you bring the entire population of the Shadow realm with you?" Zeya spoke to dark figure as it showed itself from the darkness. "The entire palace is practically engulfed in shadows. Literally."

 "I heard you wanted to see me so, here I am." He replied without much thought, taking the vacant spot beside her. "I'm quite busy dealing with the mess I made back home so be quick."

 "Varen told me that Tvar has stopped hunting." She said, still suspicious of the entire ordeal. "Do you think its plotting something while its gone?"

 "I would assume so." He replied simply. "But we need to use this time to our advantage. He must be looking for an alternative after realizing that I killed all the elders."

 "Tvar was planning to invade the shadow realm to interrogate the elders." Lex flashed an evil smile before he continued. "Too bad they're all dead."

 "So, you really did kill them." She whispered, slightly in shock.

 "There will no place for traitors in the realm that I shall rule. They acted on their own accords, so they should pay the consequence." He said logically, which was a rare sight for Zeya when it came to her brother's counterpart.

 "I tried to get whatever I could out of them, but they wouldn't budge." He sighed as he remembered how he couldn't get any of the elders to tell him more about the book. "It was either they truly had no clue or, they'd rather die than help us get rid of this monster."

 "I've been doing all I can to find the book in your stead, sister." Lex stated with a slightly annoyed tone, like he was forced to do the work by someone. "As for that monster, it seems to have fled elsewhere, because we can't trace it anywhere in Stygia or Exousia."

 "Have you looked through Imnolyn then?" She asked, switching her demeanor from relaxed to a more tense and professional one.

 "You mean the human realm? Well, we can only do the searches there at night because of the number of humans that roam around during the day." He replied. "But Tvar doesn't seem to be terrorizing that place either."

 "We might as well use this time to our advantage. The book should be our first priority." Zeya concluded; her heart felt heavy despite the somewhat good news. There was only a couple of spots left that needed to be searched but she was starting to lose confidence in all these places.

 'What if Tvar had already found the book's location?' She thought, her mind starting to wander off. 'Could that be why we haven't heard of it?'

 "There you go with that face." Lex nagged, flicking her forehead to bring her back to reality. "I doubt you'll ever fully heal if you keep letting your nerves control you."

 "Tvar won't succeed in whatever it is trying to do." Lex stated confidently, patting Zeya on her shoulders. 

 "And also, stay away from that Kaxarene. I don't like him." Lex warned, remembering the weird encounter he had with Varen. "He seems like a dangerous creature, a cunningly dangerous one."

 "Your Majesty." Claire called out from behind Zeya, cutting the sibling's conversation short. "Lady Nevra is here to see you."

 "I guess it's time for me to head out as well." Lex concluded as he stood up. "Enjoy your time with this crazy lady."

 Nevra gave Lex a small bow as he walked past the jolly Roseabelle.

 "Alright, I'll talk to you soon." Zeya smiled faintly as she watches Lex vanish through the thick black clouds, leaving Exousia to go back to the shadow realm.

==============

 "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." Nevra was visibly excited to see her old friend, her smile wide and innocent.

 "He just came by to visit." Zeya said with a soft smile, glad to see her friend after so long.

 Nevra was one of very only female friends that had stuck with her since she was a young Roseabelle. She was the oldest daughter of the Rossingol family that engaged in cross-marriages just like Zeya's.

 However, unlike Zeya, she was born with many complications, resulting in the many scars and stitches that ran all over her body.

She also has some difficulty with emotions due to her being born with a slightly underdeveloped brain.

 She was nevertheless a stunning Roseabelle, with a well-toned, icy blonde hair and eyes that resembled rubies.

She was considered the breadwinner of the family since her parents were good-for-nothing nobles that lived off of the family inheritance, neglecting her and her siblings as a result.

 Zeya's mother was the main reason as to why she had met all of the Circle members, and Nevra was no different.

Nevra was often always in her mother's home whenever Zeya paid a visit and immediately, they became close friends even as they grew older.

 Although they were practically the completely opposite of one another, they balanced each other well.

Nevra was the cheery and fun-loving one that taught Zeya how to balance work and leisure while Zeya was the anchor that prevented Nevra's emotions from going over the edge, especially when she would be emotionally distressed by her long-term relationship with Rowen.

 Nox walked over to Nevra to greet her, nuzzling its entire face all over the petite Roseabelle.

Nevra received the greeting with an excited squeal, hugging its face with her entire body due to the size of it.

 "Did you come all the way here alone?" Zeya asked, finding it unusual.

Nevra was quite clingy with the ones she loved, especially with Rowen. It was rare to see them apart from one another, and it was never a good sign when they were.

 "Unfortunately." Nevra said as she slumped over Nox cartoonishly, suddenly saddened by the fact that her lover was not by her side. "He's been so occupied with work lately that we haven't seen each other in weeks."

 "But never mind that." She shook her head before the smile from before reappeared. "I'm here to see my favorite Roseabelle so that's more than enough for me."

 "Let's go back to your room if you're done with your walk, the sun is starting to burn this precious face of mine." She was finding it hard to contain her excitement. "I have a little gift that I wish to show you."

 She seemed to have brought something with her as Zeya noticed Nevra holding onto a tightly wrapped object with both her hands.

 "Alright, let's go." Zeya agreed, getting up to go. The sun was starting to get harsh thanks to it getting closer to noon.

 Although she was more tolerant to the light than most, even the afternoon sun was too much for her to handle, often leaving her skin red and irritated after a few minutes.

Nevra placed her gift conveniently on Nox's head before she grabbed Zeya's hands.

 Using the element of surprise to her advantage, Nevra quickly ran through the corridors and towards her room, finally feeling the relief of being under the shade of the palace's structure.

Nox followed after them in slow, careful strides, making sure that the object on its head would not fall.

=================

 Zeya was too stunned to speak when she saw the gift Nevra had brought her. It was a lunchbox, consisting of all the foods that Zeya had been craving since forever.

Zeya turned to Nevra with a wide smile, genuinely touched by Nevra's thoughtfulness.

 "I heard they didn't feed you well here." She frowned, understanding how hard it must've been for "So, I asked one of my maids to prepare this feast for you to enjoy."

 "Dig in. I rushed all the way here to make sure it was still warm." Nevra encouraged Zeya as she handed her a pair of utensils. "Hopefully, this will quicken your recovery."

 "You have some too, Nevra." Zeya insisted despite Nevra refusing profusely. "You know how I dislike eating alone."

 For the first time since she came back, Zeya felt alive again as she conversed with Nevra of everything and anything that had happened while they enjoyed the food.

Claire and Nox decided to give them time to catch up and left the chamber to do their own little tasks.

The childish giggles that erupted from the room was something that had never happened before in the palace.

The sounds resonated throughout the once silent palace and for once, the place seemed livelier thanks to that.