Veil of Secrets

The Xylos manor was bustling with activity as the wedding day approached. Servants hurried along corridors carrying bolts of fine fabrics, floral arrangements, and trays of delicacies, while the people of the northern region decorated the streets for the grand celebration. Despite the usual cold, the festive air was filled with a warmth that could only be described as Mana itself, blanketing everyone in anticipation.

The fitting room was a whirlwind of motion, Madam Venice at its center, adjusting my wedding gown with the precision of a hawk. She circled me on the raised platform, her sharp eyes darting over every fold of satin.

"Hold still, my lady!" she barked, tugging at the hem of my dress.

"I'm trying," I said, a slight laugh escaping my lips.

"Trying isn't enough," she muttered, pinning a final lace detail in place.

Yulia, the head maid, stood nearby, quietly overseeing the process. She leaned closer to me, amusement lighting her eyes. "She's always like this," she whispered. "But you can't argue with the results."

I nodded, letting Madam Venice finish. Around us, a handful of maids whispered excitedly about the upcoming feast—stories of pastries and mead, and the chef's best attempts to outdo himself. One joked that Kazmir might topple into the wedding cake if he wasn't careful.

Just then, the door creaked open, revealing Kazmir leaning casually against the frame, a mischievous grin on his face. Curiosity danced in his eyes.

"Do I get to see the duchess-to-be in all her ethereal glory?" he teased, stepping inside.

Madam Venice spun around, scissors in hand, her glare enough to intimidate any knight. "Absolutely not, Your Grace! You know the rules!"

Kazmir raised his hands in mock surrender, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "A glimpse won't hurt anyone, surely? I'm only human."

"It's customary in the Ironclad Empire for the groom not to see the bride in her dress before the wedding," Madam Venice huffed, waving her scissors like a sword. "Not only is it bad luck, but it ruins the surprise!"

Kazmir sighed dramatically. "So I must wait until the ceremony to truly behold her beauty? Cruel, Madam Venice, truly cruel."

I shook my head, trying not to laugh. "Rules are rules, Kazmir."

"Fine," he said with a mock pout. "But don't keep me waiting too long, Ava. I'd hate for the whole world to see you first."

"Out!" Madam Venice snapped, brandishing her scissors.

Kazmir backed out, his laughter echoing down the hallway.

Madam Venice declared the gown acceptable, and at last, I stepped off the platform, legs shaky after standing so long. Yulia hurried over with water, while one of the maids helped me steady myself. We all exchanged relieved smiles.

Kazmir lingered outside, feigning impatience. "Is the dragon done breathing fire?" he asked in deadpan.

I swatted his shoulder. "Don't let her hear you say that. She might chase you with those scissors."

He pressed a hand to his chest theatrically, drawing a stifled laugh from Yulia. The hallway bustled with servants carrying decorations, footmen polishing silverware, and the occasional guard looking out of place amid the wedding finery. Kazmir teased that he might hide in the stables if things got too frantic. I rolled my eyes, though a fond smile tugged at my lips.

As the afternoon sun began to wane, I excused myself from the festivities. "I'm not feeling too well," I murmured, stepping away from the bustle and laughter.

Kazmir, noticing my departure, called after me teasingly. "Just avoiding me to tell me about the dress? Or are you more excited about the wedding night than the ceremony itself?"

A slight blush heated my cheeks. "A bit of both, perhaps. But truly, I'm feeling off." There was a fleeting urge to discuss the perfume he'd given me a week earlier, but I held back, not wanting to hurt his feelings over my vague suspicions.

He followed me a short way down the grand stairs, his voice softening. "If you say so. Just remember, we have a long night ahead."

I managed a weak smile, a sense of unease stirring in my chest. Before Kazmir left, he said, "If there's anything you want from the capital, let me know. I'll bring it back for you."

I gave him an appreciative nod. Too exhausted to say more, I retreated to my room.

__________

Earlier that week, Kazmir had asked Hugo to procure a special perfume—a cherished fragrance rumored to enhance innate abilities. I found it thoughtful, never imagining it held any Mana, Aura, or hidden threat. Hugo, mild and unassuming, offered no reason to distrust him—or to guess that he might be someone else in disguise.

That morning, on one of our daily outings, I used the perfume as usual. As I dabbed it behind my ear, a sudden rush of half-forgotten memories rose—tendrils of old lessons from my mother, Adira, on how my Divine power was sealed. Intrigued yet uncertain, I tried using a small trick of Nothingness Manipulation to see if the scent might trigger more recollections. I felt a flicker of something strange but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Yulia, who also tried a tiny dab, had no negative reaction, which reinforced my belief that the problem lay solely in my own sensitivity.

Unbeknownst to me, the perfume had been tainted with suppressed Mana and Aura, along with a whiff of corrupted Divine power. I had no knowledge that such forces lurked in it. Trusting that Kazmir's gift was harmless, I kept wearing the perfume without question.

By late afternoon, dizziness struck with force. My vision blurred; a wave of fatigue threatened to overwhelm me. The last thing I remembered was stumbling in the corridor before everything went black. Unconscious, I never realized I was succumbing to a slow poison that gnawed at my sealed powers.

In my spectral state, I drifted aimlessly, anxiety gripping me. A soft, unspoken instinct drew me to follow Kazmir wherever he went. I couldn't see or sense the suppressed Mana and Aura in the perfume—my only awareness was my worsening state and the battered fragments of memories swirling in my mind.

Kazmir's playful demeanor vanished the instant he sensed my peril. Determined to save me, he set off into the cold night, riding to the capital in desperate search of a remedy. He scoured the marketplace until he uncovered the moonstone necklace, a relic reputed to repel dark magic. Clutching this artifact, Kazmir hurried back to Xylos Manor.

By the time Kazmir returned, any hope of explaining my condition to him had slipped away—I was already in the throes of a feverish delirium. He found me trembling on the bed, beyond explaining anything. As Kazmir bent over me, intending to piece together the day's events, an unexpected intruder emerged from the corridor shadows. A cloaked figure stepped in—Hugo, Kazmir's loyal aide. Kazmir didn't recognize him for what he truly was, but I remained unconscious, still baffled as to his intentions.

Hugo, fully covered in his cloak, approached my bed, dark intent evident in his eyes. He lifted a vial of ominous liquid, the oppressive aura sending a chill through the air. Kazmir sprang into action, placing himself protectively between us.

"Who are you?! You've made a mistake coming here," Kazmir growled, Mana sparking to life.

The intruder's voice was calm yet mocking. "Well... Well... Well... You're too late, your Grace."

Kazmir's shield flared, blocking droplets Hugo hurled at me. Another vial shattered, releasing acidic fumes that seeped into the edges of Kazmir's defense. Summoning a blade charged with his Aura, Kazmir slashed the intruder's shoulder, leaving a wound that pulsed faintly with residual magic.

A sharp hiss escaped Hugo. "You'll regret that," he snarled, voice cold.

Kazmir's glare remained fixed, anger simmering beneath the surface. "Stay away from her!"

Though injured, Hugo sneered. "Don't you know?" he said mockingly.

"This won't heal without divine intervention. But she'll remember soon enough… and when she does…" His words trailed off into cruel laughter as he vanished into the corridor's shadows.

__________

Desperate for more answers, Kazmir searched for Hugo to ask where he got the perfume and if an antidote was available, only to learn that he disappeared on weekends to a private house on the outskirts. Rage spurring him on, Kazmir set off into the freezing night, Mana suppressed so as not to alert anyone.

At the modest house, he peered through a window and spotted a wounded figure—injured from his earlier blow—clutching a shoulder wound. Kazmir's eyes narrowed. Slipping inside, he confronted the man.

"You're back, Hugo," Kazmir said icily, tension filling the dimly lit room.

The figure turned, features flickering into Alexios, radiating betrayal.

"You've been under our roof," Kazmir snarled, "meddling with her life. That perfume—it was tainted with Divine power, Mana, and Aura. Did you realize you were slowly killing her?"

Alexios's smirk betrayed no remorse. "As if I care?"

"I needed her memories restored. I didn't care how it happened." Even with his wound, he still has the guts to mock Kazmir.

Kazmir lunged forward, his Aura flaring. "You suppressed that perfume's energies so she'd never suspect it. Why?"

Alexios shrugged. "She'd have thrown it away if she sensed what was inside. I needed her to keep using it—until the last drop. She's stronger than you think, Kazmir. If she can't survive, that's on her."

Kazmir's fury rose, but Alexios vanished before he could land a blow, leaving only hollow laughter in his wake. Kazmir stood in the cold gloom, anger twisting inside him. He vowed Alexios would face justice—but first, he had to save me.

As I followed Kazmir in my soul form, confused as to what intentions Alexios wanted to achieve. The Alexios earlier had a different demeanor compared to when I first encountered him. 

__________

Shaken, Kazmir called even a doctor, but no one was available at this late hour. Realizing time was against him, he summoned Nevi for assistance.

"You saw that intruder," Kazmir said, voice strained. "What's happening to her?"

Nevi inspected a shard from Alexios's shattered vial, glowing faintly with malignant energy. "It's poison, but not an ordinary one," she murmured. "This was methodically crafted."

Kazmir folded his arms. "Explain."

Nevi pointed to the shard. "It's a variant of Aconite—Wolfsbane—deadly by itself. But it's also laced with Mana and Aura, the very energies your butler suppressed in that perfume. Worse yet, there's Divine power in the mix, corrupting it further. Amira's sealed abilities are clashing violently with the poison."

Kazmir's fists clenched as he thought of my fragile form. "So that's why she's like this?"

Nevi nodded gravely. "If her body can't manage Mana, Aura, and Divine power at once, it could destroy her. Adira sealed her powers in childhood for her protection, and the perfume—corrupted as it was—broke those seals in the worst way."

Kazmir's eyes flashed with anger. "All because Hugo—no, Alexios—suppressed the perfume's energies so thoroughly that she never realized it contained Mana and Aura."

Nevi confirmed, "Yes. He wanted her to keep using it until the last drop. He simply never understood that combining these elements would endanger her life."

__________

Kazmir knelt beside me, brushing a stray lock of hair aside. "Then I'll do whatever it takes to save her. She's not facing this alone."

Unable to secure a High Priest's help—Sebastian was sent on a mission—Kazmir had only the moonstone necklace created using the meteorite rock, and his own resolve. My soul parted from my body, and rejoined me at last, igniting a partial surge of my sealed power. It battled the poison, though I remained close to the brink.

Kazmir knelt beside me, tears threatening to fall. "Amira," he said, voice trembling, "please… stay with me."

"You've always been stronger than me," Kazmir whispered, tears in his eyes. "Stronger than anyone I've known. Don't give up now… I can't lose you."

He bowed his head, silently invoking Indra, the highest god, and spoke aloud in desperation, "Indra, spare her. Take my strength—my life—whatever it takes. She's the light of my life… the only thing that keeps me whole."

A hush fell. The moonstone necklace he had brought flickered faintly in the dim room. I let out a jagged breath—barely perceptible, yet enough to give Kazmir hope.

"Fight this," he pleaded. "I promised you so much—a new training ground, the best war horse, and I've even been toning my body out so I won't disappoint you for our wedding night," he added with a shaky laugh. "You can't leave me before we enjoy all that."

Despite the agony twisting inside my head, I forced a whisper, "I… can't… die… yet… we… still have to… marry… enjoy… life… together…"

My body shivered, breath ragged, but the nearness of his voice anchored me. A furious ache pulsed behind my eyes as I coughed violently, blood staining my lips.

Tears slipped down Kazmir's cheeks as he carefully helped me sit up, supporting me against him as he helped me wipe the blood on my lips. "Amira!"

"I'll call every temple in the Empire if it keeps you alive," he said, half-laughing, half-sobbed.

A faint chuckle left my lips, though it sent pain rattling through my head.

"Too… eager," I murmured. "We… can't skip… tradition…"

He kissed my hair gently, tears still on his lashes. "Is it your habit to scare me like this?"

"Blame… the poison," I whispered, managing a shaky smile. Another coughing fit seized me, but Kazmir's arm held me firmly.

"We'll get through this," he vowed, his voice thick with emotion. And in that fragile moment—despite the threat still looming—hope flickered like moonlight in a storm, guiding us onward together.