Ashes of Crown end Claws

Chapter 5

Lumina got up with the help of the stone wall still looking at the prince standing before her

“How…when…the beast” Lumina looked around for the beast

“Save your strength” he finally spoke.

“How did you turn into that, what are you?” Lumina back away from him slowly. The prince walked towards the rock and sat on it

“I should ask you that. You’re not entirely human, are you?”

“I’m certainly not a beast" she said, holding up her dagger.

The prince looked at her then down to her face

“You’re entirely clueless”. With a wave of his hand, he waved off the weapon from her hand

Lumina looked at her weapon fall and clank against the stone floor before returning her gaze to the prince

“I’m surprised you had the guts to look a beast in the eyes and even come back but you can’t stand mere magic?” he scoffed then got down the rock.

He strolled towards her while she stepped back

“Tell me” he snatched her wrist “What are you?” his graceful blue eyes looked a lot more threatening

“Get away from me” she struggled in his hold “whatever belief you have about me being more than human is nonsense.

The prince stared into her eyes still not letting go of her wrist

“I know what you don’t know you are” he said

“Your majesty must be sick.” She shoved his hand off “Am I in a dream or something? This is unreal” she paced around

“You’re blind to a lot of things. Think about it, do you think a normal human would make that fall in the forest? You should be six feet down by now” he said

“Look at your scars, do you think a strike from a beast will heal that fast?” he asked

“It runs in the family”

“Lies” he scoffed “Look, up there, people ae celebrating your death. Your family doesn’t even know you’re dead”

“I’m not! And I’m human, I’m not whatever beast you say I am”

“You can convince yourself but you can’t change fate. Look, the only reason you don’t know is because you’re hybrid” he said

“Enough with your nonsense!” Lumina screamed, forcing a silence in the cave

Her eyes hardened on the prince.

“Stop shifting your fate to me. you killed Aveline, you’re the beast everyone is terrified of. You kill children to but the worst part is, everyone looks up to the palace to do something about it but you’re the one behind it all” Lumina said

“What is this festival about? It’s the same thing you do, you heartless monster. How do you feel now after you took away my friend and half of the village?” Lumina screamed

“Watch your tongue when you speak to me. do you think I chose this royal title? Everything is wrong! These humans, they annoy me. if I was heartless, I would have killed you back in the forest” he yelled

“Then do it now” Lumina’s hands fell to her side “Just kill me since that is what I’m here for”

Zephyr kept quiet for a while

“I brought you down here myself” he said. Lumina looked at him

“Yes, I was the one who placed it in your bag” he swayed his robe

“Now that you’re here, you have no choice than to listen to whatever I say” he said

A sharp breath escaped Lumina’s mouth

“I’m leaving” she walked away

“Take my hand now” he said “or face the beast alone. This place breeds beasts more monstrous than I am” he turned around.

Lumina looked at him

“Why do you want to save me? why do you keep saving me and leaving me to die of guilt?”

“Because there is something you don’t know and you have to” he said.

Lumina looked away, her back turned on the prince

“Leave me. I don’t believe anything you say” she walked ahead.

When she looked back, he was gone like the wind. Lumina wandered around the giant cave towards where the moon shone down to the earth. It reflected on the surface of the water in the hollow of the floor.

Lumina knelt next to the water to wash her face and body. She stared at her reflection for a while before pulling her clothes down her shoulders. The scar there was beginning to fade.

It was true Lumina’s injuries healed faster than a normal human but she believed like Calista had told her that it runs in the family.

She saw a ladder-like pathway upwards to an inner cave. She tugged at it before lifting her leg on it. She climbed upwards and got into the cave. Cold and dark. She laid there thinking about what the prince had said.

The prince looked out the window at night, his eyes fixed on the moon.

His heart kept going back to Lumina in the cave. Then-

An arm rested on his shoulder.

This sudden act made Zephyr react

“Mother” he looked down at his mother while holding his hands behind him

“Are you okay? You look pale” she brushed her fingers over his face

“I’m fine, you should get some rest” he said

“Son, you act like you don’t want to be around me” she said

“I’m sorry you feel that way” he said, his face remained expressionless

The Queen gave a soft smile before leaving the room.

He lifted his hand and saw the claws elongated from his fingers

“I don’t want to be here either” he said as he watched the claws retract.

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Lumina opened her eyes, blinking slowly, she sat up from where she laid, her hair fell from the hold of the broken band.

She looked down the cave she was in then saw the prince seated on the rock under the sunlight in his white clean robes and straight over his shoulder, golden ornaments adorning his hair.

Lumina sat back in the cave, holding her knees to her chest

“You survived the night” the prince said but Lumina didn’t give a response

“Get down here” he ordered

“Who are you to order me around?” she asked.

Zephyr didn’t waste time, he stretched his hand towards her. White magical essence emanated from his hand, lifting Lumina from where she was towards him in the air.

Lumina looked below her, the small body of water stayed still beneath her

“Why’d you stop?” she looked at the Prince, his lips curved upwards before retreating his hand from Lumina, throwing her into the water.

The prince wiped off droplets of water from his face.

Lumina’s head popped out of the water, her hair stuck to her face

“You could have just left me up there if you were going to drop

“Time into the water, do you even think at all?” she got out of the water

“You smell awful” he threw a piece of clothes to her feet

Lumina kicked it aside

“I’d rather die than accept your offer” she stood there, dripping.

The prince nodded

“Cats are like that too. It’s nothing new” he got off the rock and walked towards the water.

Lumina watched him stand still, he said nothing. She reached for her knife under her dress, wrapping her fingers tightly against it

“I thought you’d be curious about your hidden self’ he said.

Lumina charged at him from behind with the dagger.

Right then, the prince turned around, earning the knife in his abdomen.

She dug it into his skin with all the strength in her.

A smile creeped up her face as she pushed it further inside him, looking at the prince in the eyes.

Red spread through the white robe of the prince, the dagger remained in his body.

The prince’s hand held Lumina’s and pulled the knife out of his skin.

Blood splattered on her face. He took the dagger from Lumina and squeezed tightly on her hand, nearly crushing her bones.

He swung the dagger across, cutting her arm open before throwing her across the cave. Lumina groaned as she fell from the wall

The prince looked at his injury

“If you’re going to kill me, at least learn it properly” he tossed the dagger aside” he appeared in front of Lumina, crouched to his knees.

Lumina looked at him with eyes of despair, her brows furrowed together

“Killer instincts and you won’t believe me?” he asked.

Lumina pushed him backwards, grabbing a stick next to her. She swung it across his head but it only went through the air

“I swear I’ll kill you myself. I’ll kill you like the way you killed Aveline” she swung again.

The prince’s hand caught the piece of wood in the air

“Great, now you know you’re a part of the cat clan”

“I’m not”

“Then how would you kill me like the way I did to your dear friend?’ he mocked.

Lumina panted, the stick fell out of her hand

“How would you know if I’m part of the cat clan?” she asked

“I feel it within me” he said. Lumina’s gaze shifted to where she had stabbed him. She narrowed her eyes to see

“Healed” he said “Are you convinced now?”

“No” her voice deepened

“Why?”

“I don’t believe in people who kill others”

“Who’d I kill?” he asked. Lumina into his eyes

“Are you playing with me right now?”

“You killed your own friend” he countered and stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them.

“You killed her. She trusted you to help. You left her at the other side of the gates while you found your way and help your own sister escape” he pinned her by her shoulders against the wall

“You had that key in your hand, but you stood there and watched your friend die, tell me, what does that make you?” he asked

“I didn’t kill her” Lumina's voice faded

“The choice was yours to open the gates but you didn’t. that guilt should live with you, you’re not a hero, you’re just a monster like I am” he said “Maybe even worse” he walked away.

Lumina sat on the floor. The words were true and still hurt.

“If you help me break the curse, I’ll help you discover yourself” he said

“You’re the one always in my dreams, aren’t you?”. The prince didn’t give an answer. He dropped a book to her feet

“Stay hidden. If the guards find you, they’ll kill you themselves” he said and vanished into thin air.

Lumina buried her face in her palms, her blood boiled within her as her muscles tightened.

“Zephyr. I’ll kill you myself” she said.