The Devil's Cursed Witch

Draven returned to his palace  after dark after spending an entire day searching for clues of Evanthe's current whereabouts. The moment he appeared inside his study, he found Erlos patiently waiting for him inside.

"Good evening, Sire!" the elf bowed. "Welcome back. Have you eaten or do you want to have your evening meal--"

"When did you return?" Draven asked as he sat in his chair.

"We returned in the afternoon," Erlos replied.

"Did she enjoy visiting the witches?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, Sire! Ember--cough!--I mean, Miss Ember enjoyed her outing and got lots of gifts from the witches. They were especially friendly and welcoming to her, and Miss even got shy! Lady Cornelia took care of her really well and did you know that the first hour we arrived--"

Draven stopped him before the elf could give him a detailed step-by-step account of their entire trip. "Rest I will hear from her."

"Of course, Sire!" Erlos didn't mind.

"Is Aureus in the palace?" Draven asked.

"No, SIre. I don't think he has plans to return to the palace before the day he leaves for Megaris. He is staying with his uncle. If there is anything important, I can send him a message to return."

"No need. I will go to them in person."

Draven was about to leave when Erlos suddenly spoke up, "I want to come with you as well, Sire!"

Draven didn't say a word as both of their figures disappeared from the study. Moments later, they appeared at the mountain peak by the sea of clouds, at the particular ridge of the cliff where Morpheus usually stayed.

It was the first time for Erlos to come to this place, and he felt shocked. "Whoa, what's this place, Sire? I thought we are going to that eagle's nest in Redcrest!"

"A second eagle's nest," was all Draven said as he looked around the rocky cliff, but not a single soul was in sight. Thinking about it, he walked in the direction of Myra's cave to check if they were inside. Erlos noiselessly followed behind him, his gaze flitting about trying to find out more about the place.

"Sire, what--ack!"

The moment the two of them reached the entrance of the cave, Draven pushed away Erlos without warning, causing the elf to fall into a messy heap on the side, while he himself received the blast of wind that came his way. Though he managed to block the attack with his hand, his body was pushed back, leaving a trail of crushed rocks under his boots that were several feet long.

"You are not welcomed here, Draven Aramis."

They heard the familiar voice and saw Morpheus stepping out of the cave.

"Aren't you being shameless? You have almost destroyed this cave, the last keepsake I have of my sister, and you dare step inside again!" His scowl, that was directed towards Draven, turned into an amused one as he stared at Erlos. The elf had stood up and was busy removing dirt from his clothes. "Are you alright, kid? I didn't know you tagged along with this shameless Dragon."

"Such attacks can't hurt me so you don't have to show any care towards me."

"Sure, next time, I won't," Morpheus said as he looked at Draven. "Do you dare step inside this cave?"

Draven rubbed his gloved hands together as to silently express that the attack from the shapeshifter merely amounted to dust. He then leveled a flat glare at Morpheus. "If you are done playing, step away and call out Aureus."

With all the noise their arrival caused, there was no way Aureus wouldn't hear them talking. He stepped out of the cave on his own and bowed to Draven. "Good evening, King of Agartha. Pardon my uncle's rudeness. May I ask what brings you here?"

Draven went straight to the point. "I came to tell you that Esther Ivanov you know is indeed Evanthe, the Queen of Witches we know here in Agartha."

This news that dropped out of nowhere caused two Divine Eagles and one High Elf to be shocked.

"What?!" Morpheus exclaimed. "You confirmed it?"

"Yes," Draven answered. "I have talked to Cornelia Grimm, and she confessed a secret of her race that clarified my doubts. Evanthe and Esther Ivanov are the same person."

Between these four men, the one who had the largest reaction was Morpheus. Erlos and Aureus were ignorant, but there was an open secret about Evanthe that only those familiar with the Queen of the Witches knew.

"So she truly married a human and had a child with him?" Morpheus mumbled in disbelief. His eyes turned towards Draven as if to silently ask, 'How can this be when her soulmate is someone else?'

"That means the King of Megaris is half warlock and half Dragon?" Erlos mumbled as if he had heard the most fascinating riddle ever. "I have never heard of such a thing."

Aureus happened to be the calmest of those who received the news. "Are you certain, Your Majesty?"

Draven nodded. "I visited the Royal Palace of Megaris, and I sensed Evanthe's powers. She had been my comrade for hundreds of years; I cannot be mistaken in identifying the essence of her powers."

There was a sudden silence with everyone trying to process what they had heard.

"Does this mean you can trace her if given more time?" Morpheus asked Draven.

"It's impossible to trace her purely with magic. I attempted to do that earlier, but I am only able to find items she enchanted on the other side of the continent. The person herself could not be found. I will need to meet with the King of Megaris and ask for whatever clues he can provide us."

Draven then looked at Aureus. "Who was the last person who saw Evanthe before she went missing? How did she leave?  That could lead us to her."

Aureus did not hesitate to respond, "There were two people--my king and the lady who raised me. According to Lady Tyra, Queen Esther jumped in the river outside the capital. Her plan was to submerge herself and lock her soul at the depths of the river as she could not bear to part from her husband and child and that was the only way she could stay close to them. However, King Drayce had unceasingly attempted to search for her in the river throughout the years, but he returned frustrated and empty-handed every single time."

"Water?" Draven said. "Her elemental attribute is water so that's why she chose it. But if she had truly submerged herself in that river, then I have the means to find her."