Oliver and the secrets of a dark past

The night was quiet, strangely quiet for recent events. The starry sky provided a certain kind of comfort for those who liked to look at the stars late at night. The night breeze ruffled the curtains, bringing in the smell of cigarettes and food being cooked in neighboring houses. The dim light of a lamp licked the walls, bringing a feeling of comfort.

Grace was sitting on the window sill, her knee was against her chest and her other leg was stretched out in front. She had arrived at Viktor's house a few hours ago, after he picked her up from an old witch's house where Elisa had taken her earlier.

It was a day of many revelations, his chest still hurt every time he thought about his grandfather, his eyes watered and his throat burned from trying to control the tears. His conversation with Mother Martis helped him a lot, she had told him details of his life that until then remained only in the corners of his memory. At the moment, she was calmer about everything that happened. She was never a person who resented death, she knew it was something natural and unstoppable, but she still missed her grandfather.

Grace was also informed that everything she had gone through the night before had been an illusion that had not been made by Elisa, as she imagined, there were some suspicions about Lázaro, but they said that this was not her Modus Operandi. Her perception of things was so fucked up, she had had everything thrown at her that she didn't even evaluate her own actions, trusting Elisa as soon as she arrived at the cabin, forgetting everything she had discovered about the blonde through Viktor.

Everything was catching her at her worst moment. Grace was never a very emotional person, she always kept her feelings under lock and key after they had played with them. She knew she had her heart in her hand when she faltered and it had been years since that happened.

At least she hadn't been fooled again. Mother Martis explained her obligations, being a healing witch, she knew a lot about the Valefar and all the witch families in the city, being their healer. Grace fell in love with the magic of healing, a chamomile tea with some calming herbs worked miracles for her mind, leaving her clearer, cleaner and she could understand her future.

Of course, Grace was left in tears, receiving affection and words of support from Mother Mortis, who treated her like a grandmother treating a grandchild. A little later, Valefar talked to the lady while Elisa was taking her herbal bath for spiritual cleansing, which was interrupted by the arrival of Viktor, who had now captured Grace's attention.

D’Aragon was unknown to her. He had done so much for her in such a short time, helping a complete stranger, protecting her from the ghost, staying by her side when she needed it most. Now she was at his house, enjoying more of his hospitality and compassion, she still had many questions about him, which she hoped he could answer for her.

It had been a few minutes since he had left the house to buy dinner for them. He asked her if she wanted to go with him, but Grace preferred to stay at her house, taking advantage of the little time she had alone to think about what she would do next.

She still didn't have a working cell phone, unfortunately repairing hers would cost the cost of a new cell phone, which hurt her a little, since she had an emotional attachment to the device. Grace still needed to go to her house, get some clothes and look for Ezren's diary. Her grandfather insisted that she knew where it was, but the reality was that she didn't know at all and hoped that by staying at home, she might have some indication of where the diary might be.

Viktor told him that they could go there the next day, despite Elisa's implications about them needing to start training Grace as soon as possible, the guy was very short and blunt when he said that if they waited 24 years to be able to show up and make a huge mess of her life, they could wait another two days.

Sometimes Grace couldn't understand the boy very well, Viktor always seemed to know more than he let on, but he also didn't open up to her or anyone else, he was like a turtle's shell, there would have to be a lot to be able to penetrate his true form.

“Grace?” A voice spoke from the other side of the door, followed by two knocks.

“You can come in, the door is open!” She responded with a higher tone of voice. Grace lowered her legs down, standing with her feet dangling. Viktor opened the door and leaned against the frame while still holding the handle.

“I bought takeout. I forgot to ask what you liked, I brought a little bit of everything and went to the market to buy some groceries. I haven’t been here for a few years and I’ve been left with nothing.” He explained. Grace shook her head, showing that she understood what he meant. “Well, if you want to go now, the food will be on the table, if not, you can rest a little longer.”

Viktor turned to leave, but came back, wanting to talk a little more, but he seemed a little apprehensive.

“If you want to take a shower and take off those clothes, I have some women's clothes, they are in the closet, I don't know if they will fit you, but you can take whatever you can find.” He didn't say goodbye, leaving soon after he finished speaking.

Grace spent some time just dangling her feet as she thought about how peaceful it would be to take a nice, hot shower. She got up and went to the wardrobe in the room, opening it and looking at the clothes there. As a mid-size woman, she often didn't find clothes that fit her comfortably, but surprisingly, the clothes they did have seemed like they fit her perfectly.

Choosing a cream-colored dress with small blue flowers, Grace went to the bathroom in the hallway. Viktor's apartment was a very comfortable place, despite being dusty from the time it had been closed, it had a comforting feeling. The bathroom was clean and had a nice lavender smell, soap and a shampoo and conditioner set were on the sink. A small smile marked Grace's features, grateful for Viktor's hospitality.

A few minutes later, Grace came out of the bathroom wearing the dress that she thought made her feel strange since it wasn't her usual style of black or cottage color clothing. The dress left her tattoos on display, previously hidden by the clothes she was wearing, which were now under her arm and the towel wrapped in her hair.

After leaving her dirty clothes in the room where she was, Grace went out to the kitchen, the smell of the food Viktor brought was making her stomach dance at the prospect of eating hot, fresh food.

—

A few hours later, Grace and Viktor enjoyed the evening with Chinese food and a few cups of hot tea, taking advantage of the alone time to get to know each other better and Viktor was finally able to ask what happened at Mother Mortis' house earlier that day. Valefar didn't take long to explain everything that happened, receiving reservations about Elisa and how they should keep an eye on her, that even if she had not been responsible for the deaths, since apparently she was not in the city on the dates of the events, they did not know if this was true.

After being satisfied with her food, Grace thanked Viktor for the meal he had bought for them, which earned her a nod from him as he still chewed on a piece of chicken. She didn't take long to go to her room, wanting to enjoy some of the starry sky, which was incredibly beautiful.

Returning to sit on the window sill, from where she was, the view of the city was something Grace missed seeing from her somewhat isolated home. Unfortunately, there were things that she missed since she moved to live permanently in the Valefar mansion, things like having a lasting friendship, since many people avoided her because of her grandfather or because she lived far away, which she understood, her routine was going from home to work and from work to home.

Grace closed her eyes and rested her head on the window frame, enjoying the cool breeze that hit her body and the buzz of cars and people walking through the streets and the noises of nocturnal animals. At some point, she ended up sleeping with her head against the window.

“Finally I can talk to you” A male voice sounded across the room, she didn't understand where it was coming from, it seemed like it was coming from everywhere. “It looks funny, seeing you trying to look, don’t worry, I’m coming into your dreams. You slept. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to say anything because dreams are funny.”

Grace didn't understand, she was feeling like she was in a first-person dream, she couldn't control her body, but she could control her eyes, she could understand why her body wasn't responding, it was at rest, resting even in the uncomfortable position.

“You must be wondering why I can do this, enter your dreams. This is like a possession, I’m using your relaxed body to get into your mind.”

Grace noticed when a shadow moved. The mental landscape she reflected was Viktor's room, near the door, she could see the same shadow that haunts her dreams and appeared in the mirrors of her house.

The thing smiled. “Yes, it's me, I think I can show you who I am, I think that black shadow makes you a little uncomfortable, doesn't it?”

After that, a boy of average size materialized in front of him, red hair and completely black eyes. Her clothes were a little old, very similar to the clothes Elisa wore.

“I want to show you something. Something that will help you understand the whole family thing and why I’m here to… let’s say, help you.” The man walked around the room, stopping next to the bed and sitting on it.

From where he was sitting, Grace could get a good view of the boy, he was not corporeal, still somewhat translucent, his red hair fell over his face, a little wavy and very shiny, like a ghost. Despite being playful, his face had a bitter expression, as if he carried eternal pain, guilt and sadness. From where he stood, she could see his clothes, now clearer since he materialized in front of her.

It was stained with blood.

Grace's curiosity peaked. She didn't feel alert in the ghost's presence, not in the same way she felt when she was attacked in her home. She felt calm, calm, curious and anxious to find out what the boy wanted to tell her.

“My name is Oliver Aiken. I was very good friends with one of your relatives, your great-great-grandfather. And I think as you can see, it didn't end very well” Oliver said, running his hands through his clothes, as if he was remembering something.

Oliver looked at her. Staring at her as if he were seeing her soul.

“You must be wondering what happened to me. It will be better if I can show you.”

The landscape of Viktor's room dissolved, giving way to an older and much more decorated version of his own mansion living room. It was clear, a blue sky could be seen through the windows, the same one that was destroyed now, the sight gave him a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy due to the fact that his house was destroyed. At the end of the scene, Grace could hear footsteps and a few seconds later, the door was opened and two people entered. Two men, one with characteristics of the Valefar family, defined jaw, black hair and green eyes and the other was Oliver himself, alive and happy.

They were both smiling and happily, hand in hand, entered the room.

As soon as the other man closed the door, Oliver pulled the other man into the middle of the room. His laughter echoed around the room as they both ran around the room, following each other, Oliver laughed trying to get away from the other man. Grace could feel the sweetness that both parties felt in that scene, the feeling they shared was palpable.

In the little game they shared, there came a moment when the brunette grabbed Oliver by the waist, knocking them both to the ground with Oliver turning around and getting on top of the other boy, they both gave a playful laugh and approached the other man to kiss his lips.

Grace already imagined what was happening there, but after that scene, she was sure.

Oliver was in love.

The scene continued, Oliver now had his forearms on the boy's chest, playing with some strands of the brunette's hair. The redhead continued playing with the boy, threatening to give him a kiss but getting up after walking away.

The man laughed, with his laugh echoing through the room, he stood up too, moving closer to Oliver. “You’re playing with fire, little boy.”

“Oh, yeah?” Oliver looked the other in the eyes. Grace could see from where she stood, the love Oliver felt for his ancestor.

Before kissing, the two men were stopped when the door to the room was opened, thrown open and thrown into the wall. Both were startled by the sudden action, snuggling closer to each other, hoping they could protect themselves from what was about to come.

The atmosphere in the room dropped when the person who caused the commotion was present in the room.

He was a man with black hair, the same as the boy who was with Oliver, he dressed with wizard class. His posture was rigid and an expression of anger appeared on his face, he was approaching the couple, but maintaining a considerable distance.

“So, you thought I wouldn’t find out about this little affair of yours?” The boy spoke, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Lucien. Now is not the time, please.” The brunette spoke.

“No, little brother? What do you mean this is not the time? You’re seeing my assistant and you mean it’s not time?”

“Lucien. Leave us alone, please.” Oliver spoke up.

“You betrayed me, Oliver. You can't do this, doing this behind my back! I put you inside this house, I gave you some rights from the Valefar family and this is how you thank me!?” Lucien changed his tone. Uncrossing his arms, his hands now had black smoke forming on his fingers, going unnoticed by the other two present there.

“Lucien, maintain decorum. If you want to resolve anything with this, resolve it with me!”

“Don’t get involved in this, Ezden" Lucien shouted at his brother.

The situation on the scene was getting worse with each passing moment. Grace began to feel distressed by the way things were going.

Oliver let go of Ezden, getting closer and closer to Lucien, trying to control his project partner's temper.

As soon as Oliver got a little closer to Lucien, leaving his boyfriend behind, he let out a laugh that even Grace could feel the hair on her arm stand up.

Before the two men could realize anything, Lucien trapped Oliver in his spell, keeping him still, his magic snaked around the redhead's legs, as if they were slithering snakes waiting to attack the boy. Ezden approached Oliver to help him get out of his brother's clutches, but was surprised when a spell threw him back, causing him to crash into the bookshelf.

“Ezden!” Oliver shouted, feeling desperate for being trapped, he couldn't think of any magic that would help him get out of the situation he was in. His eyes were already watery with unshed tears, he was afraid of what Lucien could do to them. Oliver knew that his boyfriend's brother was untrustworthy, which is why they decided to keep their relationship a secret.

From where he stood, Ezden choked on his own breath as he saw his brother grab Oliver's hair and pull his head back, throwing out words that he couldn't understand because his brother was whispering them. His back was hurting from the heavy blow he received from being thrown into the shelves, but he did his best to kneel on the floor, preparing to get up, until he saw his brother wield a dagger.

It was as if time was standing still, he couldn't do anything but watch when in less than a fraction of a second, Lucien's accurate blow hit Oliver's chest, right where his heart was. Lucien walked away, looked at Ezden who was in shock and ran out of the room.

Grace was in shock. Even in a dream, she could feel the anguish hanging in the air, she felt in her pores the pain that Ezden emanated as he ran towards his beloved's body. She couldn't see much else as the scene dissolved and she found herself staring into the room of Viktor's house again.

“Do you understand now?”

Grace looked at the boy, on his face there were two black lines, they were tears.

“That day I lost everything, I lost the love of my life, I lost the years I could have spent by his side, I lost the opportunity I had to build something with him. Do you know why all this? Out of greed. I entered into a game of ambition with Lucien, according to him, we would be the most powerful wizards, we would be whatever we wanted, at first I believed it, but after I met Ezden, everything changed, I fell in love with him, and that silly ambition for power disappeared, but Lucien didn't forget…” Oliver sniffed.

Grace might not understand what he was going through, but she understood the pain of losing a loved one.

“Before passing into the world of shadows, I swore to anyone possible that I would only rest when Lucien and Lazarus were like dust. Lucien has already paid his price, and it was a gift to watch his trial before the laws of shadows and now only Lazarus is left.”

Oliver looked at her. The scene she was seeing was bizarre, a ghostly entity looking at her with eyes and black tears running down her face. He had a horrifying smile on his face, his face turned downwards before he let out a laugh.

“I hate the Valefar, equally I hate Lazarus, so if I have to join a shitty Valefar to be able to save myself and pay my debt, I will do it. I have no appreciation for any of you, I only loved one person who didn't even consider himself one of you. However, for the person I loved, I will show you a few things, I hope you like it, princess.”

Oliver disappeared and Grace woke up from her sleep state with a start, suddenly, her head started to hurt and flashes of memories and images formed in her mind. She screamed loudly, unable to contain herself due to the pain.