Chapter 441
Just as Odalys finished speaking, a loud rumble echoed from above. The sky seemed to crack open with flashes of lightning, as if the heavens themselves were about to be torn apart. Without thinking, Percival instinctively pulled Odalys back a step, shielding her. Above them, the door, securely shut moments before, was shattered into wooden splinters, smoke rising from the broken pieces.
“We’ve probably entered some kind of illusion,” Percival muttered, his eyes still fixed on the wreckage of the door.
Callum had followed him, but in the blink of an eye, they were separated. Perhaps "lost" was a better word; perhaps Callum was still somewhere within these walls, but neither of them could see the other.
“It’s not exactly an illusion,” Odalys corrected him, her voice heavy with a dark weight. “This place is real, but it exists in a different reality.”
Her words chilled Percival to the bone. Things were spiraling in a terrifying direction—one he hadn’t dared imagine. The events unfolding in Crownridge were merely the tip of the iceberg.
“Odalys, right now, we need to find Callum. He and I were together in a past life, and just before we entered this place, we somehow got separated,” Percival said urgently, his voice filled with urgency. “This place has no signal, and even the compass is useless. The magnetic field is messed up,” he added, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Odalys looked at him, her brow raised in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so focused on Callum’s safety. In the midst of all this danger, his thoughts were with someone else, not with the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father. It was strange—a man who ruled with an iron fist, usually indifferent to the lives of others, was now so concerned for the safety of someone close to him.
“Callum’s with me,” Percival continued, sensing her unspoken question. “No matter what happens, I’m bringing him back. He grew up with me, always by my side. We’ve been through life and death together.”
Odalys smiled, the depth of his words moving her more than she’d expected.
“I thought people like you—the ones in powerful families—would be cold-hearted, only interested in themselves,” she said candidly.
“Well, if I were to turn and leave, then I wouldn’t be the kind of person you think I am,” Percival replied, his tone softer than usual.
Before either of them could speak further, a violent gust of wind blasted through the air. Odalys instinctively reached for Percival’s arm, pulling him back, but he was faster. He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, even quicker than she had been.
The wind howled violently outside, rattling the door and making an eerie squeaking sound. Inside, the room was pitch black, except for the faint flicker of candlelight on the table covered with ancestral tablets. The shadows danced unnaturally, casting an ominous atmosphere over the space.
“Callum should be safe for now,” Odalys said, her voice steady but serious. “Our priority now is to leave. If we’re still here when the clock strikes midnight, we won’t be able to return to our world.”
“This place runs on the same time as the outside world, but midnight is a boundary,” she explained urgently. “If we’re still trapped here when that time passes, we’ll be stuck here forever.”
Percival’s lips tightened. She had mentioned this “world” multiple times, and he questioned what she meant.
“Is this world some kind of balance line? And what exactly did I see earlier?” His mind raced with confusion.
Odalys stepped forward, standing before the altar with the ancestral tablets. She glanced sideways at him, their eyes meeting briefly.
“What you saw was the deepest, most vulnerable part of yourself,” she said calmly, but with a warning edge. “It’s the part you’re least willing to confront. If you had let your desires cloud your judgment, you would’ve ended up like Windsor—falling prey to temptation and losing your soul.”
She paused, letting the words sink in. “Thankfully, you stayed rational. If you had given in, your fortune would have been drained. A person without fortune is like a puppet—controlled by something else.”
Percival’s heart sank under the weight of her words. “If things had gone wrong, your body would have been taken over by evil forces, used as a vessel for some dark ritual. Your family’s ancestral energy would’ve been destroyed, and the Stewart family line would have ended. No children. No legacy,” Odalys finished grimly.
Her words hit him like a physical blow. Percival stared at her, his eyes flickering with unease. He swallowed, trying to push the thought away.
“So… does that mean I can never be with anyone?” His voice was hoarse, almost unwilling to ask, but it had to be said.
“What?” Odalys blinked, surprised. She stared at him, not understanding.
Percival’s face flushed crimson, and he quickly turned away, clearly flustered. His usual composed demeanor faltered. He took her hand firmly, pulling her forward, as if the conversation was over, though it clearly wasn’t. It wasn’t the time to dwell on it. After all, breaking his vow would be bad for both of them.
He had once thought that after spending so much time together, once everything was over, they would have a chance to be together. He never anticipated that breaking his vow would bring about so much trouble.
For a fleeting moment, Percival felt unease stir within him. It wasn’t that he wanted to rush into things physically with her, but he realized he had selfishly wanted to stay with her forever. Now, it seemed all of that had been wishful thinking. The bond he had hoped to form with Odalys might only ever be a fleeting moment, and that thought left him strangely restless.
An invisible weight pressed on his chest, making it hard to breathe, as if the hopes he had built up over time were once again blocked. The glimmer of hope he had felt when he met her now seemed obscured, never to return. Before he met her, he had never thought about marriage. After meeting her, he had imagined a future, a genuine relationship. Now, it all felt like a mirage. If breaking his vow would cause the destruction of the Stewart family, he had no choice.
“Percival,” Odalys sensed his emotional turmoil. She looked at his large hand wrapped around hers, feeling the intensity of his grip, as if he were afraid she might disappear. Yet, he didn’t hurt her; she could even sense his care, his gentleness, but in his deep eyes, she saw a fleeting moment of despair and restraint—a look that disappeared as quickly as it came, but she caught it.
Odalys was confused. She sensed that perhaps he had misunderstood something. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, unsure if she was just overthinking things.
“Come, let’s light the candles for our ancestors,” he said, his voice low and steady, though the turmoil inside him was evident.
He grabbed a candle, lit it, and handed it to her. Odalys watched the flame flicker as she held the candle, her gaze falling to the dancing fire. As they both knelt before the altar, lighting the candles and offering a silent prayer, the room seemed to hold its breath.
Percival’s deep, rich voice broke the silence. “Percival, 113th heir of the Stewart family, with my wife, Odalys, we offer our prayers. May our ancestors bless us with peace and safety.”
They bowed three times, then inserted their candles into the candleholder. The instant the flames touched the holder, the room trembled. A deafening crash echoed as every single ancestral tablet toppled over, and the candleholder split apart with a loud crack. The air erupted in a cloud of smoke, and in an instant, the entire room seemed to explode with chaotic energy.
“Get down!” Percival shouted, pulling Odalys into his arms, his body shielding hers from whatever force was bearing down on them.
She looked up at him, feeling his protective embrace, and for the first time since they had arrived, she felt an overwhelming sense of safety. The sensation was so unfamiliar, so startling, that it left her breathless.
“Percival,” she whispered, almost involuntarily.
The world around them seemed to vanish as she locked eyes with him, losing herself in the intensity of his gaze. She could feel the pounding of his heart through his chest, strong and steady, and for a moment, it was all she could focus on.