Chapter 76 – The Flower That Swore Vengeance

Without a word, Princess Thyra tossed the fragment into the air. It spun lazily, catching the light with each turn before landing halfway up the marble steps of the slope with a faint metallic chime. Her gaze lingered on the fragment for only a fleeting moment before she turned her back to the trio.

“Take it…,” she commanded, her voice distant. “…and leave my sanctuary.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned back and began to walk away, her movements slow and deliberate. The long train of her green, rose-adorned gown swept over the marble steps like a cascade of vines, and the soft rustle of her footsteps echoed faintly in the stillness. The trio watched her retreating figure, caught between relief and unease.

Makara, breaking the silence, gestured toward Selena. “Go get it,” he said in a low voice.

Selena hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, her footsteps light against the marble as she made her way up the slope. Her eyes stayed fixed on the fragment.

Meanwhile, Makara turned his attention to Shawn, whose eyes remained locked on Princess Thyra’s retreating form. Makara, without turning his head and whispered in a low tone. “Can you move?”

“Nope,” Shawn replied, his voice clipped and tense.

When Selena ascended the slope toward the spot where Princess Thyra had thrown the fragment, her thoughts were racing. ‘Could it really have been this simple? No resistance? No battle? It felt too easy, too surreal.’ As she approached the fragment resting on the marble steps, sunlight glinted off its surface, giving it an almost hypnotic allure.

Meanwhile, down below, Makara and Shawn stood frozen in place. They found themselves completely immobilised, unable to move their body. Only their voices remained their own, but they kept it to themselves so they wouldn’t worry Selena.

“Shawn,” Makara spoke out in a low tone. “I am also unable to move.” Shawn added, his tone calm but edged with suspicion, “Is this the effect of the princess’s power that she was talking about?”

Makara replied, “Maybe, but let’s keep it to ourselves so we don’t alarm Selena.” For which Shawn replied with a “hmm.”

Selena ascended the steps without knowing what was happening to her colleagues, and she reached the fragment location. She crouched by the fragment and reached out with her hand. The fragment glowed against the sun as her fingers brushed against it. But the moment she lifted it, the shard disintegrated in her palm, bursting into a swirl of luminous petals. The petals scattered into the air, carried away by the breeze.

Her heart sank as realisation struck. “She tricked us,” she shouted, clenching her fists in frustration. She turned back to see Makara and Shawn still standing at their spots.

“Figured, ” Makara growled, as he was unable to move.

“Selena,” Shawn shouted, his voice calm. “Follow the princess. We’ll catch up soon.”

Selena started sprinting towards the top of the slope by climbing the stairs, pursuing the Princess, leaving them behind. She knew she couldn’t let the princess vanish.

When she reached the summit, a new obstacle awaited her. Before her stretched a vast grass maze, its towering walls standing ten feet high, the pathways between them barely wide enough for one person. The intricate patterns of the labyrinth seemed to twist and shift as if alive, its green walls rustling softly in the breeze.

At the far end of the maze, Selena caught a fleeting glimpse of Princess Thyra entering through one of the many arching entrances. Without a second thought, Selena charged forward.

As she ran into the maze, the air grew thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers. The walls seemed to close in around her, their dense foliage brushing against her shoulders. Every turn she made felt like a gamble, but she kept catching glimpses of Thyra’s flowing green dress just ahead, always just out of reach.

Though the princess walked with an unhurried grace, her steps seemed to defy the maze’s twists and turns, as if she already knew its way. Selena, by contrast, had to push herself, her feet pounding against the earth as she pursued her elusive target.

Occasionally, she spotted the gardeners she’d seen earlier, calmly tending to the maze’s hedges. Their serene presence was unnerving—they didn’t acknowledge her, didn’t even glance in her direction, as if they were part of the maze itself. But Selena had no time to dwell on them. Her focus remained solely on Princess Thyra.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of twists and turns, Selena emerged onto a long, straight path. At the end of it stood Princess Thyra, her back turned, silhouetted against the light streaming through a magnificent glass dome.

The dome housed a small, enchanting garden, its centrepiece a cluster of three flower pots arranged on a low table, featuring three different roses – light pink, white, and green. Princess Thyra knelt beside them, her hands moving delicately as she tended to the flowers. Selena slowed her steps, adopting a defensive stance as she cautiously advanced.

The princess’s voice broke the silence, calm but firm, carrying an air of quiet authority. “I was wondering why you are immune to my power?” she said without turning around. “You must possess the blood of those people who breathe underwater; that’s why you are immune to my power.” Her hands didn’t stop their work as she continued, “I would have given it to you. The real fragment.”

Selena froze mid-step, stunned and confused by the statement. The words hung in the air, heavy with an implication she couldn’t yet decipher. Selena replied, “Yet, you didn’t.”

Princess Thyra, with a smirk on her face and finally rose and turned to face her, her green eyes locking onto Selena.

She gestured toward the three coloured roses behind her. Two of them—the white and green ones—had withered completely, their once-vibrant petals now blackened and crumbling. “Do you see these flowers?” she asked, her tone sharpening. “Each one represents my brothers.”

Selena’s breath caught in her throat. The weight of the princess’s words was heavy when she mentioned her brothers.

“I haven’t visited them for some time,” Princess Thyra said, her voice low but edged with tension. Her gaze hardened, her eyes glinting with restrained fury. “But when you three arrived seeking the fragment… and I looked upon the roses again, I understood.” She paused, her expression tightening. “Two of the roses have withered—white and green. That can only mean one thing—my brothers, Aerion and Enthril… are gone.”

Selena steadied herself and tried to find the right words, but she was speechless. Princess Thyra continued, “But seeing the light pink rose is still fresh, meaning that what you said was true, it was my brother Prince Zhao who tasked you with collecting the fragments.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Princess,” Selena said softly and decided to tell her. “We came here to collect your fragment and stop the war,” Selena said, her voice laced with quiet sorrow yet firm resolve. “If this war isn’t stopped, countless innocent lives will be lost. Those fragments… they’re the only way to stop it.”

Princess Thyra’s expression didn’t waver, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes. Doubt? Pain? It was impossible to tell.

“Stop the war, uh,” Princess Thyra murmured, almost to herself. She turned back toward the flowers, brushing her fingers lightly over the petals of the light pink rose representing Prince Zhao, her mind thinking of speaking to her brother ‘Is this what you want, brother?’

Selena took a careful step forward. “We’re not here to cause you more pain—we’re here to do something far greater than any of us.”

Princess Thyra let out a soft, bitter laugh. “You say ‘not causing more pain,’ and yet the pain you’ve brought is more unbearable than death!” she shouted, her voice trembling with anguish. “Why must collecting these fragments come at such a heavy price?”

The air inside the dome seemed to thicken, the walls of foliage rustling and vibrating as if responding to Princess Thyra’s anguish. The bright sky above shifted to a deep, oppressive grey, reflecting the storm of emotions in the princess’s heart. Instinctively, Selena drew her spear from her back, twisting it to extend the blade at its tip. As her gaze turned towards the Princess Thyra, her hand tightened around the shaft, muscles coiled and ready, prepared for whatever might happen next.

Princess Thyra began walking toward Selena with deliberate, measured steps, her green eyes locked onto her. Her calm voice cut through the tense silence like a blade. “Your mission to gather the fragments and stop the war is noble, I admit. I would have given the fragment within me to you without hesitation, but…”

She paused mid-step, her expression hardening as her voice grew bold, commanding. “…I am Princess Thyra, the daughter of King Azure of the Azurian Empire, the only sister of Crown Prince Zhao, Prince Aerion, and Prince Enthril. You have slain two of my brothers, and you will answer for their deaths. I—Princess Thyra swear I will have my revenge.”