**

Sheilalev stared at Abe's sleeping face. Although she couldn't see him, Sheila was able to take a grasp of his current state. 

Sheila placed her hand against Abe's forehead as she closed her eyes.

'Get rid of the Vice-captain. No word about the Dienes des Lichts being there to the Hidden Archives must come out. We have to come clean, Sheilalev. And to do this, we have to eliminate those who pose a threat.'

Sheila gritted her teeth. She knows that. She knows what she has to do. Yet why? Why is it so hard for her?

She took a deep breath. The back of her palms lit up as she thinned her lips.

"I hope you understand . . . that this is for the best."

Sheila closed her eyes as she let the magic inside her surround the Vice-captain's mind. And like a snake it enclosed the vice-captain painfully; Abe winced in pain, his brows creasing. He panted and gasped several times. His body was trying to fight Sheila���s magic.

But Sheila was stronger.

Abe's brow that was furrowed slowly smoothed out—the fine lines disappearing as he fell into a deep slumber. 

A slumber that might last indefinitely.

One, goodnight sleep cast by a poisonous snake.

**

When the doctors arrived to check on Abe, and figured he wasn't waking up at all, they concluded that there is some kind of spell that intervened with his consciousness. The doctors were able to trace that there is magic involved easily, but it got harder to identify what type of magic was used.

"Was it a clairvoyant's? A combination of some types of hallucination magic?"

The mage doctors—the healers—could see nothing more than a thick haze as they try to decipher what was wrong with Abe. And while they do this, they were able to have their time snipped by Sheilalev Ortfalcon, the high priestess, who was staying in His Majesty's side ever since he was crowned as king. Sheila sauntered towards Abe's bed; ���is there still no progress?"

"Right now, there isn't anything we can see as of the moment . . . and as we search for answers, all we could get is a hazy fog. We're worried we might not get anything more than this, Priestess."

"Do your jobs," Sheila spat. "I did not think that Feuersturm's so-called, fabled healers were this incompetent. You can't even figure out what's wrong with the Vice-captain? Or you don't want to heal him because of the rumors?"

Elvis and Elliot were on the guard—they were on the corner, watchful of Abe. Elvis had a look deep in thought, while Elliot was clearly shrouded in worry. Abe was breathing properly, yet he didn't look that well. It was as if his body was battling over a disease—his complexion was pale as it is, but it was borderline white now. Elliot was the first one to be in the infirmary room to watch over Abe as he awakens, but then there was nothing but Abe being completely out of it.

"We- we could never think of Vice-captain that way!" The healers exclaimed. 

"Tch," Sheila rolled her eyes. "Step aside."

Elliot watched Sheila saunter as she reaches Abe's side. She then places her hand on top of the Vice – captain's forehead. And at that moment she closed her eyes; from her hands illuminated a golden light, matching the color of her blond hair. Elliot waited anxiously.

"It seems like he was. .h.i.t with a sleep type of magic," Sheila said. "I won't go on to details, but it's a rare type of mutation of magic that occurs in few people. I have encountered it at the clairvoyant domain when my fellows are conducting their research."

There was half of the truth about what Sheila had said. She did a study about the rare sleep type of magic that operates on light and dark magic, two types that are considered to be very rare. The sleep type of magic is similar to other clairvoyant magic—but the sleep type makes the castor cast the spell indefinitely as long as both darkness and light exist. And these two—light, and darkness—were ever-present, so the effects pretty much last and don't wear off unless the castor desired them to. 

Which is why . . . the plan was perfect.

It was impeccable.

"It's that or either a clairvoyant did it," Sheila said. "If we can use awaken spells, we can use the opposite as well. However, if that's the case, I could awaken Abe easily with a clairvoyant spell evigilare faciatis. But as you all can see, it doesn't work."

That was right. It doesn't work. Any clairvoyant that would use any form of awakening spell wouldn't be able to wake Abe up. Sheila was, on purpose, telling Elliot and Elvis this to avoid them raising suspicion. Although obviously, she couldn't terminate it fully—given the fact that these people were keen and were considered high knights for a reason, she still had to buy herself some time before his majesty finds out what she did.

And at that time, she had to find a better excuse—or rather,

A better distraction.

"So . . . the Vice-captain can't wake up anymore unless we find the one who made him like this?"

Sheila stared at them intently—although she couldn't see them, she could still feel their mana; their life force flowing through their veins. "No, there's still another way."

It was the truth. If Sheila told them they only needed to find the castor, then they would uphold all the roots until it traces back to her. It would be too great of a risk.

"There is still another way?"

"There is," Sheila exclaimed, "I believe in the ancient ruins, there is a certain plant that could awaken someone from a spell that made them slumber for long—although that is just considered a myth I've found in one of lesser books."

It was the truth, but it wasn't necessarily 'true'—there was, indeed, a book that served as Sheila's reference. It was in one of the common books in commoner libraries—about a plant in the ancient ruin that could awaken someone from a coma. It was nothing but a myth, but it seemed plausible enough to tell. 

"A plant in the ancient ruins?" 

Sheila smirked on the inside. 

They bit it.

"Yes. I believe it's called the 'Sleeping Sage,' which is safeguarded by one of the most ancient monsters in history . . ."

"Give us the details," Elvis said.

"Very well,"

**

"Did you accomplish your goal?"

It was nighttime now—and the clock had just struck midnight. Sitting in the throne room was his majesty—the first king, Alexander Octavius Ein Feuerkrieger. His cold, sapphire eyes were looking down at Sheila who had stood anxious ever since she arrived.

"Answer me, Sheilalev."

"I . . . put on a strong form of darkness shrouding his mind." Sheila a.s.serted. "I made him fall into a deep slumber, Your Majesty."

The king's cold eyes gave Sheila a look. "You did not kill him?"

It was very much unlike the usual Sheilalev—who was now fidgeting and was apprehensive. Sheilalev was a woman of grace, power, and dignity. The king seeing her like this made him think that she might have an attachment to the Vice-captain—no, she had an attachment to the whole knighthood; and the ninth king himself. The first king narrowed his gaze.

"Why were you not able to kill him, Sheilalev? You are only going to allow them to find out about what I have ordered you to, and you are only putting yourself at the risk of getting caught." The king thundered. 

"I—I deeply apologize, My King," Sheila exclaimed, stuttering. "But I can guarantee you that I will find another opportunity to end the vice – captain's life,"

"Do not get your emotions to get in your way, Sheilalev." The first king, with a voice as cold as winter, articulated to Sheila who felt a s.h.i.+ver run down her spine. "One wrong move and your head might be sent flying. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty."

"Now, do you have any more news for me?" The king ma.s.saged his temples. "I am stressing over this body. I can never move freely, unlike with the other seven." 

"About that . . ."

The king turned towards Sheila.

"Elindei Feuerfalke went to ask of my a.s.sistance a few days ago, and I've seen something that had bothered me," Sheila said. "I felt something that I have only felt to one certain person—an energy that was strong, fierce, but carried something that was heavy and was against the force of nature."

The first king clenched his fist, "I'm listening."

Sheila nodded. "Elindei Feuerfalke went to me because I couldn't see; and the Diener des Lichts were my only servants. The Diener des Lichts do not speak of what they see, after all; but what I saw meant nothing to what I had felt." Sheila exclaimed. "When Elindei came to inform me with something about Lucas Feuerlon and that child of Magierstadt's schoolmistress, I sensed a great deal of power."

"How ridiculous. A Feuerfalke getting that much power?"

"No; it wasn't Miss Eli," Sheilalev said. "It was her companion who carried this air. He had a thick gust of darkness surrounding his entirety—and his mana—is overflowing."

"Don't tell me . . . a Heilen?"

"I thought so too at first—but then I took a closer look—" Sheilalev felt a s.h.i.+ver run down her spine. "When I peered more to his heart—I saw something I have never seen before."

"What is it?"

"The red crystal," Sheila said. "Which harbored an immense amount of dark magic."

The king gritted his teeth.

"It seems he is on the move, huh?" The first king muttered. "That forsaken warlock!"

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