Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

Sophia

Once again, I am here in my safe space with Bythos in front of me. Perhaps he's here to enlighten me regarding Lady Sophia. I sighed and approached him with a distressed look on my face.

"Hm? You called for me. May I know why?" he asked with a sweet smile on his face.

I raised a brow. "I did?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You wished that you could talk to me about something. Ha, why do you only call for me when you're in need of answers to your questions?"

My face remained grim even after how much he tried to act like he doesn't know what I'm talking about. When he noticed that my expression didn't change, he sighed. I guess he's finally going to talk about it. By the looks of it, the topic doesn't seem like a sensitive one. Maybe there's some sort of reason why they don't want to talk about Lady Sophia. And that's what makes me more curious!

"Forgive me for not telling you about this. I never thought it would be relevant information. Hmm, you seem to have grown impatient. I shall take you to the past once again..."

I guess it's a given that they tell stories by bringing you to the past literally. Bythos seems to have understood what my expressions say, so he laughed and brought me to the lake. Oh, I get it! I looked closely as an image slowly appeared on the clear waters. I squinted my eyes and saw a woman with Bythos and Hildus. So this is where the story about the real reason as to why this war started unfolds?

"That woman is Sophia, a half-human and half-shapeshifter. Hildus truly loved her, but Sophia being the greedy person that she is, chose to stay with me so that she can be the queen someday."

I understand why Hildus took the throne from Bythos. It's either he's jealous that his woman chose another man, or he wants to be the king to get Sophia back. But what I don't understand is, she didn't look like me at all! Then, why did Karis say that the woman in the picture inside the locket necklace was 'Lady Sophia'?

Once again, the scenarios changed as Bythos elaborated what each scene meant because I got confused. It seems like The Zodiacs had no idea who Sophia was yet. Even after she chased over Bythos so much, she still hasn't become a queen.

"Can you tell me what timeline this is?" I asked.

"Before the war. I sent Sophia to where we evacuated the tribes, so you didn't see her."

The scenario changed once again. My mouth went agape when it showed Hildus disguising and suppressing his divine powers just to blend in with the servants in the castle. Since Sophia is a shapeshifter, she did the same to spy on Bythos. It suddenly showed Bythos painting a portrait of me, so I turned to him. He looked away and pretended that it wasn't him.

"Why?" I teased him.

He smiled. "You are like a piece of art, perfection personified. Thus, I wanted to recreate you."

My heart melted at what he said. I never thought of myself that way, so I felt more confident about myself after hearing what he thinks of me. He smiled when he saw how happy I was because of his compliment.

"Thank you, I guess?"

He chuckled. "Shall we move on to the next scenario?"

I nodded, so he continued to show the events that occurred during that time. Sophia seems to have seen the portrait and changed her appearance. Aha! She thought it was the woman Bythos liked, so she disguised herself as me to get his attention. I shook my head in dismay as I continued to watch it. Bythos was probably aware of it, but he didn't try to catch her.

"You could have exposed her if you knew all of this," I pointed out.

"Yes, but Hildus would not have tried to seek vengeance if I did that. Everything fell in the right place because of what I did, did it not?"

He has a point, but it annoys me that someone took my appearance to leech off of someone. I sighed when Hildus seems to have caught on, and it looked like he got angrier because of it. Meanwhile, Bythos pretended to not know anything about what Sophia was plotting. As time passed, she was introduced to the twelve. I noticed that Karis is always looking at Sophia weirdly.

"Did Karis know that she's a shapeshifter?" I asked because it seemed suspicious. It was like he knew something, but he didn't say anything.

"Yes. Karis knows a lot since he's always on patrol. All of them thought Sophia was my lover, and they didn't ask me about it. It seems like she told them on her own."

The scene changed once again. Hildus kidnapped her and brought her to Hylus mountain! It seems like he carefully planned it out after infiltrating the castle. Hildus made it look like Sophia got caught up in an accident where she died.

"Sullivan loves to scare people, so he made a story up about Sophia haunting the castle. He can create illusions, so he pulled that kind of trick for the rest of the twelve. Perhaps that's the reason why Karis was traumatized by spirits."

The images on the clear waters from the lake disappeared. It finally made sense, and I understood the whole story now. Ha, the effect of jealousy on humans. But the question, if Hildus took Sophia with him, what was his reason for seeking revenge towards Bythos? He could have lived happily with her even if he didn't take the throne.

"Hildus took the throne from me under Sophia's order. She did not want to live her life as a normal person. What she wanted was fortune and the glory of being a queen. Have you not heard of the current queen from anyone? She has taken Alwina's appearance now, making it look like the archmage is siding with the current king."

My eyes widened as I tried to recall if someone had mentioned it, but there was really nothing! I'm certain that Alwina has a bad reputation now because of what Sophia did.

"How is she alive? She's not immortal, is she?" I asked with furrowed brows.

"Hildus shared his life force with her, allowing her to live for as long as she wants."

I finally understood everything. So, if I defeat Hildus, it's likely that she would lose her life. Ah, this is quite a troublesome situation. Even if she's lived a long life, it's not enough reason to kill her off just because it's convenient for us.

"Do not hesitate. It was Sophia's fate to return to ashes once her body gives up. Hildus only forced her to live longer than she has to because he could not lose her."

"But is it right?" I asked as I looked into his eyes.

"Yes. Free them both from their misery. There is no other way, Flare. You need to do it for everyone's sake. You cannot save everyone even if you want to."

I understood what he meant. I never hesitated to take the throne from Hildus, just like what he did to Bythos. But I didn't want Sophia to get caught up in it. I forgot that she was the reason why this started anyway. It might be fated to happen, but things could have been a lot easier if she didn't let her greed take over.

"Flare, the time is almost up. You will wake up and train soon," Bythos said as he stared at the setting sun.

"Do you think the view of the setting sun is pretty?" I asked.

"Yes, but I do not like it..." he murmured.

I raised a brow. "Why?"

"No matter how beautiful it is, it will still be the mark of an end. I never like things that end..."

Yet that's exactly what's going to happen to him. Tears pooled at the sides of my eyes. No matter how short our encounters were, he still felt like family to me. He was the first person I met when I first came here. He welcomed me and helped me take my emotions back, so I felt attached to him. He is an important person to me, after all.

"Karis will always stay by your side even after I'm gone. You will make it through with him and the ones I appointed to guide you towards a journey that will never end..." he said as everything started to slowly disappear.

Right. Karis will never abandon me. But that wouldn't keep me from being sad, knowing that there isn't anyone except me and Aiyana who knows what his fate is. We don't even know where he is! He might have been a bit annoying, but he meant a lot to me and the twelve.

"Goodbye..." I whispered, and I saw him smile before completely fading.

As soon as I woke up, I felt something heavy on my stomach. I looked at it and found Karis's arm snaked around my waist. Meanwhile, Karis's face is buried in my chest. Hmm, he seems to be in a deep sleep, so I decided to let him be in the meantime. It's not like I'm uncomfortable, but his arm is heavy. It's still early, so there wouldn't be a point in waking him up. Instead, I placed my hand on the back of his head and stroked him to help him sleep better. He likes it when I do that, and he gets sleepy as soon as I do it, so I figured I should try.

While waiting for him to wake up, I thought about what Bythos showed me. It might be a mere dream or illusion in my mind because I was too curious about Sophia. But it was really Bythos, I'm certain of it. I would know if it's only a dream, so I figured it was real. But how did he enter my mind again? He's not inside it, is he? There's just no way that he's camping inside my head.

There's still a lot of things that I don't know about him. To be honest, I want to know, but I don't think I should. Unless he decides to tell me about it himself, I won't do anything to get him to speak regarding that. Hmm, he won't do it, I'm sure. That's Bythos for you, still so mysterious even after how connected we are.

Karis suddenly moved, so I looked at him and waited until he opened his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes, and I'm sure that the first thing he saw was me. A smile appeared on his lips, and all he did was stare at me. I chuckled and jokingly waved my hand in front of his face.

"Don't. I'm enjoying the view," he teased as he held my hand to make it stay still.

"Are you even looking at my face?" I retorted back.

He frowned. "I am!"

I chuckled and tried to check if they're already preparing the breakfast. It seems like only the two of us are awake. Wow, we woke up earlier than everyone, even after we stayed up so late.

"Why did you wake up early?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question," he replied.

"Answer me," I said.

He pouted. "Well, a ghost suddenly appeared in my dream."

Oh. I guess the spell I placed on him lost its effect after some time. Hmm, maybe I should put a stronger one next time in case he's still scared. I'm sure he would get over it after some time if I help him. That Sullivan! It seems like he likes to pull pranks on people. Especially ones that cross the line. I wish he'd stop doing that, though.

"My poor servant has been traumatized," I said as I stared into his eyes.

He chuckled at my tone. "Come on, stop teasing me," he complained.

I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling the warmth until they start to prepare breakfast. Karis also kept quiet and buried his face on my chest once again. When someone called for us, we immediately went outside. Aiyana and Alwina seem to be waiting for us, so we immediately sat with them.

"What's wrong?" I asked when I saw their pale faces.

They sighed. "There might be a spy with us. We can't start the training until we find out who it is," Alwina said while trying to remain cool.

This table is far from the other. But even if anyone from the faction tried to eavesdrop, they wouldn't be able to hear our conversation. Alwina placed a spell on them to make sure that they wouldn't overhear important conversations that should be kept in our circle. I looked at Karis and was taken aback when I saw his veins popping. He looked like he's ready to kill whoever the traitor is. I held his hand to help him calm down. We won't be able to catch who it is if he snaps right now.

"Calm down, Sir Karis," Alwina said. "They might be a double agent for a member of The Zodiac who has secretly broken out of the spell and has no way to communicate with us without getting found out."

"Alwina is right. That person could not have entered the forest if they were really a traitor," Aiyana said.

Karis sighed. "Okay, then. How are we going to find whoever it is? And how are the two of you able to tell that there's a spy?"

"Do you remember the locket necklace? We investigated using magic and found out that someone placed the locket necklace in your tent. You see, that locket was actually a device that can let the person who owns it hear every dialogue around it. Why would anyone want to hear your conversations?"

I licked my lips. "They might want to find out what my real relationship with Karis is," I answered honestly.

Plenty of the people in this camp wants to know the real deal between us, so it wouldn't be surprising to find out that they left placed a listening device in our tent. But of course, I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Karis cleared his throat. "Anyway, you probably know who that person is by now, am I right?" he asked, changing the topic after it became a little awkward because of what I said.

"Yes. We can talk to them after breakfast. For now, let's just pretend that everything is okay."

We agreed and waited for the food to be served. I should have known if someone went inside the tent. Hmm, maybe we were in the hot springs or training ground when they entered. Ah, spies can't be avoided in every organization, I guess. We also have a spy on their side, so it's not impossible that there's also some here in the faction. I hope this won't affect us too much.

"Flare, you can use telepathy, right? Please read their mind to make sure that they can't lie," Karis told me when the two women left to find whoever the traitor is.

I know that I promised not to read people's minds without consent, but I need to do it right now. This is a serious matter, so I can't put my values before it. I pursed my lips when they came back with two wizards. And there are two of them! What could be their reason for doing something like this? I don't think they would risk their lives to infiltrate the faction.

They bowed before me and sat on the two empty seats. The others were curious, but we made them go to the training grounds without us. They know what to do, so they'll be fine.

"What's going on?" they asked Alwina.

"Ah, f**k. Did they find out?"

"They know. That's for sure."

I raised a brow when I found out what their thoughts were. They already know the reason why we called them in, but it seems like they don't want to admit it. Karis stared at me to see how I would react to whatever I say, ready to beat the two up based on my expressions alone. I glared at him to make him stop. Why is he so aggressive?! 

Anyway, I can't tell them that I can use telepathy because they might be able to block anyone who tries to do it. That'll be inconvenient for us since we have to make sure that they can't report to whoever sent them here. We won't be able to flawlessly execute the plan if they do that, and that's the last thing I want to happen.

"Were you the ones who placed the locket on their tent?" Alwina asked without further ado.

"Locket?"

"How did they find out?"

"Hurry and think of an excuse..."

I pursed my lips when the three just kept staring at them until they spit whatever they want out. Don't they know how to interrogate people? I sighed and snapped my hands in front of the two to make them look at me. No matter how much they stared, these two wouldn't spit information out.

I pointed my fingers into their foreheads when they turned to me. "Who sent you two here? Answer within five seconds or I'll shoot," I said sternly.

They turned pale and raised their hands as their way of telling me that they're surrendering. Oh? It seems like they weren't prepared to lose their lives when they came here as spies. I'm used to these kinds of scenarios, so I already know what to do. They were asking irrelevant questions, so I had to step in. These two seem to be the loyal type but are not prepared to die. Oh? I get it now...

"We were sent by Miss Kath to give the locket to Sir Karis and report to her regarding our plans," they confessed.

"That sly cat..." Karis murmured as he sighed.

Karis became pale for a second. He's probably afraid that Kath would tease the two of us when we meet her. Right, Kath looks like someone who likes to make fun of other people. Anyway, these two are Kath's men. If they were on Hildus's side, they wouldn't be able to come here. That means Kath has broken out of the spell since the day she captured me. Ah, her personality is quite complicated to read.

"That means Kath is on our side, right? What does she know so far?"

They trembled as they looked at each other. It seems like they were communicating with their eyes, telling the other to speak. I waited for a few seconds before threatening them again, even if I shouldn't. These two are still our allies, so I guess I should treat them better.

"Hurry up and answer. I won't put these down until I get an honest answer," I said and slightly pushed their foreheads with my two fingers.

They looked like they were about to cry because of what I did, so I felt bad for both of them. The three who were with me seems to have felt pity for the two, so I felt like I'm the villain here! I'm used to playing the bad guy, but I don't want my comrades to think of me in that way.

"Madam knows the plan, but we are certain that she would never leak it. She's on the rebels' side, Your Majesty," they answered while stuttering.

I smiled sweetly and placed my hand down. All of them heaved a sigh of relief after what I did. I just noticed that they were all stiff while I was interrogating the two. It's not like I have no control over my own powers, though. They were probably just scared that I would get surprised and accidentally shoot, which I would never do.

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." they murmured while shaking.

I sighed and massaged the bridge of my nose. "Why didn't you two directly talk to me about this? We wouldn't have had to do this if you did," I said and crossed my arms over my chest as I looked at them with a disappointed look on my face.

"Madam said it's boring if we did that," they answered hesitantly.

My mouth went agape and I couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of Kath. Of course, she'd say something like that."

She's quite a unique person. Even I wouldn't do something like that. We talked about that for a while until we were satisfied with the information we got.

"Why did she send the locket with Sophia's picture here, though?" I asked.

They looked at each other. "We would like to apologize for not knowing who this 'Sophia' is. We never opened the locket as per Madam's command."

What...