Andgiet Scinn: Oneirophobia

XXIV

Altheia could not explain why she had been feeling sick lately, all she did was stay in her chamber for the past days and let Storm accompany her. Her body felt heavy as though she had just been beaten into a pulp and she could not move her body. She could feel a fever running through her but she pushed herself out of her bed one day to deal with her responsibilities.

She was sitting in the throne room as they discussed the Aeviloks execution and how she was supposed to make an alliance with the kingdoms from the south once more. She was sweating cold sweat and looked so pale as though she was slowly turning into a ghost.

"Mi lady, are you alright?" One of those reporting to her asked as he noticed her ragged breath. She looked up to them waving her hand until her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

Everyone in the room was stunned while the other's panicked as to what happened. Immediately calling for Aide who was now the court physician of Palais du Vitrolly, immediately telling them to bring her to her chambers so she could check on Altheia.

Seeing that Altheia was running a high fever she immediately ordered them to get wet clothes to make her fever go down. Aide checking her breathing to see it was shallow and rapid.

"I think she has been poisoned, was what she said." Aide stated, immediately checking to see if there were any other manifestations of the poison in Altheia's body only to see bruises on her arms and legs.

Confused as she was not sure how Altheia could have gotten this Vevyl poisoning since this mostly happens with internal bleeding and infections. Immediately ordering them to make a bath for Altheia, and asking them to get the vials of the ingredients she needed to create a potion to heal.

Aide grounded the Basilisk's scale until it turned into powder, then added the minced foot of the Linrin, before squeezing the harpy's eye until its juices dripped into the bath, and finally adding a drop of the tears of lady Laekna to the mixture. When the bath water had turned into the colour of swirling violet, she instructed the other's to help her undress Altheia and dip her into the bath.

Altheia stirred after a few moments, smelling something that was similar to mint, she felt her body was cold yet her insides felt warm. Looking around she had seen Aide whispering something under her breath.

She raised her hand to massage her temple as it felt like she had been hit by a blunt object. Only to see bruises on her arms, she was confused where she got them but was much more shocked when she saw the bruise just suddenly forming onto her arm. She was about to touch the bruise to feel the tenderness, only she was stopped by Aide's voice.

"Oh, thank the gods you're awake. I was worried for a moment there." She said as she looked at Altheia with worried eyes.

Altheia, unsure of what was happening, just went to enjoy the bath instead. The water was warm and gentle on her skin, it made her relax but that still did not stop the fear she felt every time she had thought about the bruise just suddenly appearing on her skin.

Aide had second thoughts of it really being poisoning, since she did not have any other manifestations. She did advise Altheia to get lots of bed rest for a while. As Altheia stepped out of the bathwater, her maids approached her to drape her clothes unto her body. Trying not to stare at the bruises on her limps and what seemed to be like open scars on her body.

Some of the scars seemed old with a white streak line on her back, some seemed new tender pink in colour and some with a few tints of red blood. It worried Aide for a moment, she did not tell Altheia about it though. They covered her body with clothes and assisted her to bed. Feeling awfully tired despite just waking up after she had lost consciousness awhile ago. Once they were sure she was peacefully in a deep slumber they had left her chambers. Aide on the other hand made a gesture towards Storm while the cat who was sleeping at the foot of Altheia's bed got up and jumped gracefully down to the floor.

Once they had closed the door to her room and the other maids were out of sight. Moving a bit away from Altheia's chambers to make sure she wouldn't hear their discussion.

She looked down at the cat with an unamused expression while the cat looked up at her innocently as though it didn't know why Aide wanted to speak to him.

"You can't keep her here forever you know." Was all she was before the cat narrowed its eyes at her.

The black cat slowly transformed into a black shadow mist that had glowing green eyes, before the mist took the form of a human. It was one familiar to the members of Azaleas, one they had presumed was already dead based on Altheia's stories.

He had green eyes and unruly raven black hair, his hooded eyes filled with mischief and mystery. His high nose bridge, thin lips and sharp jawline accentuated his facial features that made him look like he was sculpted by the gods, his tanned skin added more to his appeal. He was wearing golden armour with a wolf entangled to a snake embedded in the centre. On his waist was his twin daggers, Eclipse, its hilt made up of silver and gold engravings. One with a black diamond on its end, De truire, that shows his power over destruction. The other had a white diamond on it, Creer, that shows his power to create new realities.

"I can keep her here if I must, it's for her own good." He said as he leaned onto the wall while crossing his arms.

"Who are you to decide what is best for her?" She challenged him, causing him to turn to her in anger, his green eyes glowing as he glared at him.

"Do not test me, I can erase your very own existence right now." His anger radiating off of him.

She simply laughed at his expression. "You cannot even come to terms with your own creation. You made this realm in just magnificence that you cannot control your own creations because you gave us freewill to move about in order to deceive her."

"You have the heart back, why not use it to create a new reality for her?" She continued to ask him, which irritated him more because he knew that she knew the answer to her question.

He was simply a phantom right now, a simple apparition created by his basic powers while he was still imprisoned. Only the death of the last descendant of the one who imprisoned him would allow him to break free of his chains. He would only be able to fully alter reality once the remaining Fridur is dead.