Chapter 5

"The Queen of Kyauven fell sick. The King did everything to help but met with no success. So one day the young prince went to the secret garden and ate the berry of the forbidden flower. Only the pure hearted can make a wish and the prince knew that. Every child is told to stay away from the flower as it is dangerous. But the young prince thought nothing of it. He was only 5. What happened next? No one really knows. The kingdom suddenly met with the news that the King and Queen were dead. The guards found the prince unconscious with a knife laying beside him," he explained.

I noticed how the room went quite and I could hear the silence getting louder with each second passing by. Delmira looked like she was about to cry. She was looking down but I could tell that she was sad. Horrified, in fact. Keres just sat there silently, without an expression on his face. I don't blame them. My mind was filled with sadness and shock. I felt bad for the royal family, as well as the people of Kyauven. I wondered what happened after the prince was found unconscious. I can't imagine how horrible it must been for him.

The silence was broken by a cry. I looked over and saw that Delmira was sobbing. She aggressively wiped her eyes but was met with no success, as new tears formed and fell down her cheek. Keres looked slightly annoyed when she began to cry loudly. However, he patted her back in reassurance.

"What happened after that? Did they find out why it happened?," Delmira sobbed.

The old man smiled sadly.

"The young prince was asked serval times by the monarch but every time he would scream, he would hold his heart and then fall unconscious. After that, everyone gave up and it was never mentioned. However, soon after that Malleus started to appear. Families were being destroyed. People were being killed and eaten. The humans made a promise to send over sacrifices so the Malleus would leave us alone. No one knows where the Malleus came from," he continued.

"So we are just sacrifices?," Keres asked.

"Indeed."

"Isn't there a way for us, humans, to go back?," I questioned.

The old man laughed.

"A way to go back? That would mean death for you. There are gates that open up at specific locations but the moment you enter, you are met with intense pain. This is to prevent anyone from leaving. Only the royal family has the ability, to change that," he explained.

"Can't we go to the prince?," Delmira asked, calming down a bit.

"What are you going to do? The prince does not want people from the other world to leave kyauven," he questioned.

"Why?"

"Some say the princes heart is tainted and can only be fixed by a true loves kiss," he said in seriousness.

I looked at him disgusted. I looked over to Keres and saw that he looked very confused. I, myself, was confused too.

"In what fairytale are we in?" Delmira asked surprised.

The old man started laugh. He held his stomach as his loud voice echoes through the tiny room. Tears started to poor down his cheeks.

"I was joking. I didn't know kids took everything so seriously. Please, you, children are hilarious. More than my grandchildren," he wiped his tears.

The old man got silent and thought for a second. He did not answer the previous question as he just kept quiet. For some reason, he looked distressed. He held his hands together as he took deep breaths in and out.

"I'm not sure. I can't seem to remember but I assume that the prince doesn't want his folk to die. Some say that the prince made the Malleus when he ate the berry," he explained.

I nodded my head.

"You could try to eat the berry of the forbidden flower. I mean, If you want to risk it. Personally, any smart person knows not to go near it. But every human is greedy. Greed is the worst enemy of human kind. Even the pure hearted are greedy for something. Be it money or power, in the end, there is always something you want. The desire never goes away. No one has been able to escape the punishment which is to come when the berry is eaten," an unknown voice stated.

"Nekane. Can you stop scaring these poor children. Look at their faces," a woman that stood beside him, stated.

"I suppose this is it for today, children. I don't seem to be feeling that great. You all should go and rest as well. I'm sure it has been a long journey. Pay no mind to what Nekane said. Who knows, there may be a chance for you to escape. You just have to find one. If there is no path, dig one up. If you desire to escape from the cruel world, don't give up. I know what I told you may seem discouraging, however, the will of a human can't be broken so easily," the old man encouraged us.

"Off you go now. Have a good night."

The woman led us to a house and showed us where we can sleep. The old man insisted that we sleep here because there was no where else we could've slept. Me and Delmira shared a room, while Keres got taken to another.

The room was quiet small but it looked very cozy. I walked to the window and saw that it was already night. No one was walking through the roads. No light was on. In fact, I would be able to see anything if the moonlight hadn't been shining so brightly over the small village.

I thought about what we are going to do. I thought about the new information we had gathered. This seems like a strange dream. Something out of a movie, perhaps. I felt like I was more confused than I was before, although, I also felt like I've come closer to finding out the secrets of this world. I missed my home. The thought of never seeing it again, scared me to death.

'There has to be a way to escape, right?'

I sighed and sat on my bed. As i expected, I found Delmira sleeping soundlessly like a baby. As the darkness of the night was creeping in, I began of some solutions. Anything to help us escape, if there was a way. But I couldn't come up with anything. I was so deep into my thoughts that i didn't notice I fell asleep.

I woke up by the sun rays shining on my face. Something was poking my leg, I grabbed it and saw that it was my crystal. Yet again, it was glowing brightly. I need to ask the old man what it means. I got up and opened the windows. I took a closer look at the village and noticed how beautiful it was.

The houses and small buildings were shining underneath the sun. The blue sky was cloudless and the air was crisp. The village paths were made out of dirt. Children were running around screaming and laughing. I could see the forest from the room too. It was truly magnificent. Kyauven was truly beautiful yet interesting.

"Aella, breakfast is almost done. Everyone's waiting for you," the woman ,from yesterday, said.

She stood by the door and waited for me. I followed her to the kitchen where the food was being laid on the table. The old man began to eat, as i sat down. There was all kinds of food. From eggs to pancakes to sandwiches and soup. It looked mouthwatering and my tummy began to rumble.

"How did you mange to kill them?," the old man asked suddenly.

I looked at him confused until he continued to speak.

"You know, Liliths' workers. They never leave Lilith alone, so I am surprised you killed all three."

"What? Only Lilith is dead."

The old man looked surprised and horrified, as if what I said was really bad. Which it probably was considering how he reacted. He got up and started pacing around, thinking carefully. It thought for a while before he came to a halt.

"Indeed, you have to go to her. It's dangerous for you three if you don't learn to use your powers on command. Delmira, Keres, what did you buy from the stalls?"

"I bought a hair pin," Delmira showed.

It was a brown with pink detailed hair pin. It kind of resembled a bow and arrow, which I thought was pretty cool. A gladiolus was carved into the bow and it made it look magical.

The old man nodded his head and looked over to Keres.

"What about you?"

"I just bought a pen," he said and pulled it out of his pocket.

The old man looked confused.

"Out of all things you could have chosen, you chose a pen? Kid, what is wrong with you?"

"Well I didn't know I would be sent to kyauven, did I? Perhaps if I knew then I would have bought something else. Besides a pen is useful than a glowing rock or a hair pin," he got annoyed yet it sounded that he was trying to convince us.

Although I was sure that he was trying to convince himself. I mean there are better things than a pen but to each there own, I guess.

"Calm down, bruv. Grandpa is just teasing you. Stop complaining like a 5 year old. I know some kids that can manage their anger better than you. Do you perhaps need help? Shall I call the village doctor?" The guy, Nekane, from yesterday suggested.

Keres looked at him confused . He walked over to him and looked at weirdly.

"No one was talking to you and I'm not angry," Keres said while patting his back.

"I know you're probably lonely but it's okay. We all are at some point," he continued.

"You looked all worked up. I know the truth hurts sometimes. But, sweetheart, don't bother. I have better things to do, then to pick a fight with a 14 year old," Nekane stepped back.

"Can you stop speaking like that? You sound cringe. Look at Aella, you could tell by her face that she's disturbed. I mean I'm as well. I would stop if I were you," Delmira advised.

He ignored her and looked at the old man seriously. Now, he was the one that looked annoyed. He thought for a second before walking up to his grandpa. The old man himself was trying not to laugh at his grandson. I could see that he was slowly turning red. His body shook as he silently laughed. He shook his head composed and himself as Nekane's pokerface.

"They have to kill them, don't they? Or else the others would be after them as well. I mean it's not common to hear that some have managed to escape," he stated to in which the old man nodded his head.