Chapter 61 Two Pairs of Siblings: "I'm your only chance, why not..."

The prison guards in Ilovia usually have a quiet environment, since the inmates who come in are too desperate to speak.

But ever since Her Majesty the Queen herself threw the Elf Prince Benling into the dungeon, the guards' good days were over.

“I’ll say it again,” the guard gritted his teeth, interrupting the melody of “Leida’s Little Song,” “singing is not allowed in the dungeon.”

“I didn’t sing,” the elven musician said innocently. “I was just humming softly. It’s too quiet here.”

The guard said, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking, Your Highness? Your music has magic; it might just help you escape."

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” Aidan spread his hands, the chains rattling. “To stop me from escaping. Besides, the anti-magic shackles bind me; whatever you fear won’t happen. Let me sing for a while. 'When the last king weeps…'”

“'...Leidas has only just begun to rise.'” Another voice rang out from the dungeon entrance.

The guard immediately bowed. "Your Highness."

The firelight illuminated the dark dungeon, making the figures of the two women even clearer.

Elaine Deville, holding a torch, strode away with great elegance; behind her stood the Witcher Cassandra, a tall figure who walked like a brown bear.

Upon seeing Aidan, Elaine was momentarily dazed.

The elven high musician's face was pale, his once elegant and smooth silver hair now tangled like a bird's nest. He was chained with iron chains engraved with ancient elven runes, utterly devoid of any former glory, his wrists covered in bloodstains. Before him lay untouched dry bread and water, his lips cracked and parched.

In the past, Elaine and Lucas even argued endlessly about which of Aidan's songs was the best. Lucas insisted that "The Secret of the Oak" was the most interesting, while she preferred "Leida's Ballad."

Now, she saw the musician with her own eyes, but he was in a dungeon.

Cassandra swaggered forward, raising her eyebrows as she looked at the elf in the cell.

“Ha, I never imagined the prince of Elf Valley would be colluding with the dark wizard we’re hunting,” Cassandra said with great interest. “Brothers are always the most difficult to deal with, don’t you think, Elaine?”

Elaine gave her a sharp look.

"Please don't confuse them. My brother would never associate with a dark wizard."

Cassandra raised her hands in surrender: "My fault. Alright, enough of this nonsense, Your Highness Aidan. Tell us about Knox, like where he is now."

Aidan lazily raised his head.

"Ah, I thought it would be Melia who came." He said with disappointment.

"Hmph, Her Majesty Melia wouldn't even deign to look at you," Cassandra said. "And you dare say that after you've broken her heart?"

"'He broke her heart'?" Aidan pursed his lips. "Please figure out who broke whose heart before you come back."

Cassandra sneered. "So you only respond to force, my lord? Let me tell you, Princess Elaine rode here on her finest horse in the dead of night, not to listen to your nonsense. Perhaps you'd rather wait until you've lost a finger before we talk!"

She suddenly raised her long knife, and Elaine quickly stepped forward. This woman was as impulsive as ever.

“Wait, Kassan.” She turned to Aidan. “Lord Aidan, what do you want to say?”

“I have nothing to say,” Aidan said. “And I won’t say anything. Unless you send Melia to see me.”

“She doesn’t want to see you,” Elaine said. “I tried to persuade her to talk to you, but she gave me the cold shoulder.”

“Oh, it seems we’re at an impasse.” Aidan seemed to be trying to force a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. “Tell me, Elaine. What would you do if Lucas betrayed you?”

Elaine didn't want to think about it because Lucas wouldn't. No matter how badly their father treated them, Lucas always believed in her and stood by her side. Of course, the brat wouldn't admit it.

But she had to answer.

"I will have a serious talk with him and give him a chance."

“Yes, that seems like something a normal older sister would do,” Aidan agreed. “However, Melia doesn’t say a word to me. In fact, ever since Cliff died, she’s hardly wanted to see me, or any of the spirits she used to be close to.”

He tilted his head to the side.

"What a pity. I thought that destroying the Divine Oak would get her attention, but she completely ignored me."

"So that's the real reason you did this?" Elaine raised an eyebrow. "To attract your sister's attention? Forgive my bluntness, but your methods are a bit extreme."

“Melia needs some extreme measures to regain her senses,” Aidan said. “I’m just helping her.”

“Dark magic doesn’t help anyone. It only destroys,” Elaine said. “Tell me, what did that Knox promise you that made you willingly allow dark magic to erode your kingdom?”

“A promise?” Aidan seemed to want to laugh. “He didn’t promise me anything; I did it voluntarily. He showed me the true image of Cynthia’s time! Only Cynthia could bring about the revival of Elf Valley, an era when art was free and beautiful.”

Elaine patiently crouched down, looking directly into the elf's purple eyes.

“So, you’ve attracted dark magic entirely because of a greater cause,” she said slowly. “You’re right about one thing. There were indeed many exquisite elven artworks in Cynthia’s time, but that wasn’t because Cynthia herself loved art so much.”

"Knox lied to you. Art was not free in that era. Sincia was the Queen of Illusions, and the world under her rule was false and ruthless. Those artworks were also products of illusion. People have simply... forgotten."

"That's very touching, Princess. What proof do you have?"

Elaine pulled out a small bottle, and glittering gold sand flowed with her movements.

Do you know what this is?

“Probably sand,” Aidan replied casually.

“This is illusion sand, sand enchanted by dark magic, used for illusions. When placed in an hourglass, it can make time loop endlessly,” Elaine said, holding the bottle. “And when placed in paint or plaster, it can create meaningless ‘works’ on its own. That’s how the works of Cynthia’s time came about. The Labyrinth of Edoro was also built upon illusion sand.”

She raised her hand, and Cassandra handed her a palette. Elaine sprinkled the magic sand and casually scribbled some on the paper with a paintbrush.

The messy graffiti automatically organized and transformed into a beautiful scene: several young aristocratic women were having afternoon tea in the sunlight, with a cute little dog at their feet.

The expressions of these women seemed different, but they were actually extremely eerie, like dolls.

"Persuasion alone cannot convince you. I suppose Knox has presented you with many similar works, perhaps even music?"

Aidan stared at the painting without saying a word.

"So I went to the restricted section of the library to look for ancient books, only to find that the Cynthian era was not what I had imagined. On the surface, it was even quite wonderful."

Elaine handed Aidan the tattered book. Aidan flipped through it for a while, then casually tossed it on the ground.

“I don’t care whether it’s an illusion or not,” he said. “You want to prove that I’ve gone astray, fine, I admit it. But like I said, I won’t reveal anything unless Melia comes to see me.”

“You scoundrel,” Cassandra gritted her teeth, “do you only talk properly when a knife is held to your throat?”

Aidan tilted his head back.

“I’d love for you to put your knife to me, Lady Witcher. In fact, I’d love for you to kill me. The dungeon is so boring, you can’t even hum a tune. Why not take a trip to the spirit world?”

Elaine observed his expression.

"Go to the spirit world? What if you encounter Tara?"

Aidan seemed a little stiff. "Tara."

“You used her. You knew perfectly well that using the magic flute came at a price, yet you still tried to silence her by claiming to resurrect her mother.”

“I didn’t know at the time that Ashlyn Bailey’s power would tear through Ilovenia’s magical defenses and let Cerberus in,” Aidan said hoarsely. “I never thought she would die.”

Do you feel regret or guilt?

“Tara was a friend of mine, though not my best,” Aidan said cautiously. “I wish she were alive, but what good would that do?”

“Tara’s death is irreversible,” Elaine said softly. “Don’t let your friend die in vain because of your foolish mistake. Aidan, Knox is a fraud; he used you. Let me ask you this: did he ever borrow your blood?”

Aidan took a few steps back.

"How do you know? That happened a year ago."

"Hmm, what did he say back then?"

"He just wanted to conduct an experiment to study the magic of the elves."

"And you believed it?" Elaine chuckled. "Knox is a madman obsessed with dark magic. Through some means, he discovered that you and Melia are both descendants of the moon god. That's why he used your blood. He thought your blood could reveal a spell that could lift Cynthia's curse."

Aidan remained silent for a moment.

"If I were a descendant of the moon god, I would know."

“You elves don’t value bloodlines, so I think it’s normal for the divine offspring to be forgotten,” Elaine said. “However, it’s obvious that you are more easily swayed than Melia, aren’t you? A brother who has been neglected by his sister for years, a musician who has gone mad from losing his emotions and unable to find inspiration.”

“I’m more awake than ever.” Aidan closed his eyes. “I just… need new feelings. You don’t know what it feels like to be emotionally numb. You have ears, but you can’t hear; you have eyes, but you can’t see colors.”

He took a soft breath.

“That little witch from the river bend showed me an opportunity.”

Ashlin was indeed a girl unlike any other, Elaine realized it from the first glance. After all, not everyone had the guts to use illusions to deceive the royal family at lunch the day after mispronouncing a spell, causing such a commotion.

Elaine wasn't surprised that she could pique the interest of this elven great musician.

“This is not an excuse for you to take advantage of her and deceive her.”

This time, Aidan took a long time to speak.

“Apart from what happened with the Divine Oak… I didn’t lie to her,” Aidan said in an almost inaudible voice. “I’m captivated by her. Her power is unlike any of ours, real and wild. I need her. I need to be… stimulated.”

Elaine placed her fingers on her chin. Aidan was serious.

“You’ve fallen in love with her? How interesting and mythical,” Elaine said. “The moon and the forest, just like all those stories.”

Aidan did not deny it.

"I was overjoyed to feel the rhythm of my heartbeat again."

Elaine squinted.

“What you love is the emotion she brings you. You just want to use her to create, to tear open the labyrinth, to gain more exciting chaos, because you are empty inside and your life is boring,” she said sharply. “Do you want to apologize to her?”

“Using her is the only thing I regret,” Aidan admitted. “Her magic thrilled me, and if I could see her again…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

Elaine sighed.

“Look around you, Aidan. You have nothing left. Ashlyn Bailey isn’t here, and she hates you to the core. I’m your only chance, so why not seize it?”

Aidan moved closer, the chains scraping against the ground with a grating sound.

“Either let me see Melia, or let me see Ashlin,” he said. “Or, use that knife to kill me. Otherwise, you’ve come all this way for nothing.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and paced restlessly.

“I’ve had enough. Let’s just kill him already. Melia won’t see him; she has no feelings for him whatsoever.”

These words made Aidan shudder.

Elaine ignored her and continued to stare at Aidan.

“Tell me who Knox is, tell me where he is, and I will take you to see Melia, I swear.”

Cassandra was horrified: "Are you crazy? You're taking him out?"

"good."

Aidan pondered for a moment.

He slowly stood up, and Cassandra helped him to his sword sheath.

“The last time I contacted him, he said he was going to the Edoro Labyrinth to look up information.”

“They’re long gone,” Aidan said. “How do you think Knox managed to navigate the labyrinth? But don’t despair, Princess, there’s something else besides the map that can open the labyrinth’s doors and allow you to pass through smoothly.”

The dejection on his face suddenly faded considerably. Even though he was the one who was tied down, at this moment, he seemed to have the upper hand.

Cassandra snapped impatiently, "Get to the point! What is it?"

Aidan smiled clearly, his face as if illuminated by moonlight.

"My music."

“Very good,” Elaine said, completely unaffected by Aidan’s sudden confidence. “I will persuade Melia to release you and lead us to the labyrinth. Of course, on the condition that your magic is under my control.”

"Controlled by you?" Aidan asked, raising his bound hands. "Even if I wear the magic-suppressing shackles, I still cannot use music to guide the labyrinth."

Aidan's face paled even more.

"Don't worry, sir. It's said that this potion tastes amazing, like sweet milk."

"And what about Ashleigh? Will I see her?"

Cassandra stared at him suspiciously. "What do you want to see that witch for, you scheming old man?"

“No need for such rudeness, madam. To an elf, I am but a man in my early twenties,” Aidan said. “I want to experience her magic, nothing more.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait until everything is settled. After all, we don’t even know where she is,” Elaine replied. “Let’s go, Cassandra. It’s time to have a proper talk with Her Majesty Melia.”

Thousands of miles away, Ashlyn Bailey awoke in the darkness.