Behind the parted curtains, Mila could see her sister, inside a large cylindrical shaped container made of glass and filled with light bluish liquid, while her sister was at the bottom of the big tube, sitting helplessly with her eyes closed.

Was she dead? Or was she still alive? However, Mila saw with her own eyes how her sister had been killed by Liam. She saw all of those events so clearly. There was no way that her sister was still alive.

​​

Not that vampires needed air to breathe. No, they didn't need such things, but the feeling of losing one of those senses was very annoying and would be uncomfortable for them, under which they tended to react more aggressively.

"What did you do to my sister!?" Mila shouted as she ran to the container. She smacked her fists against the glass, hoping that she could wake her sister up. However, Anna remained motionless.

She was no longer alive. But, why was her body kept in a place like this? Wasn't this a heinous act? They were of royal blood and what the king did was an insult.

"You kept Anna's body here?" The question that escaped Mila's lips sounded like a sharp hiss. Her angry eyes stared at Liam with the desire to kill him instantly. "You're disgusting!"

However, on the other hand, Liam didn't seem to be affected by how Mila reacted or when he saw what she was pointing out. The king instead took a step closer and pressed his hand to the thick glass of the tube, staring at the woman inside with an unreadable emotion swirling in his otherwise calm eyes.

"That's not Anna's body, Mila. It's a part of her soul," Liam said, explaining this misunderstanding to Mila. "She was the one who asked me to do this."

"You think I'll trust you?" Mila asked, snorting in annoyance that Liam kept saying nonsensical things. "Why would Anna ask you, a murderer, to keep her soul in there?"

The cynical tone shrouded in hatred from Mila, did not escape Liam's ears, but he didn't mind it, because there were bigger problems he had to deal with right now, such as; Mila's reaction when she saw what her sister was about to show her.

"Come here, I'll show you," Liam said in the same gentle tone, despite how Mila kept wanting to attack him.

Liam stretched out his hand, but Mila was skeptical. She just stared at the outstretched hand without wanting to take a step closer to Liam.

"I can't show you anything if you keep acting like this," Liam warned Mila. "If you're not ready to do this now, we can come back whenever you want."

Of course the sentence was just a bait to make Mila obey his words.

Liam had known Mila since she was a child, so he understood about her stubbornness and it turned out that this trait had not left her even after all these years.

With a frown and tightly set jaw, Mila finally reached out and grabbed Liam's hand reluctantly.

"Tell me first, what is this?" Mila waved her free hand toward the giant tube.

After the initial shock had passed and Mila was able to take a closer look, she figured out that what Liam had said was true. Inside the tube, it was indeed not Anna's body.

That said, Anna's image was like a hologram with excellent quality. Of course Mila knew this, because at the research center back then, she would often see those people using her hologram for their research purposes.

"This is a soul tube," Liam replied curtly. "You may have been away from home for a long time, but I think you must still remember what a soul tube is."

Liam turned to Mila and saw her forehead furrow in contemplation. "Of course I remember it. However, this is my first time seeing this thing with my own eyes."

Mila knew what a soul tube was. They have this ancient object that was passed down from the previous king to the next king.

Actually, it wasn't just the soul tubes that were left over by the previous kings, there were several other items that had magical powers, which were well kept within this forbidden part of the castle.

"What does Anna want to show me?" Mila said in a low voice, the question was asked more to herself than to Liam beside her.

Liam stared at Mila for a moment, but then he grabbed her hand again and this time Mila didn't struggle. "I'll show it to you."

After saying this, Liam touched the thick glass of the tube and from his palm could be seen a bright golden light, glowing and giving off a gloomy vibe that made Mila feel sadness for a reason she herself couldn't understand.

Seeing this, Mila recalled the piece of information regarding the soul tube. This mystical item could only be used by the descendants of the kings. There was something in their power that could make the ancient stuff function.

And this was proven by the opening of the eyes of Anna's soul.

Mila was surprised when she saw her sister open her eyes and looked at her with the coldest and blankest gaze Mila had ever came across.

That gaze was so binding, demanding Mila not to take her eyes off and a moment later Anna's face turned into a mist, shadowed and blurry, as if she was starting to fade.

But, along with Anna's fading figure, Mila could feel what she saw was changing too. It wasn't only the surrounding room that seemed to be shrouded in a light mist, but also Liam's figure beside her started to disappear, and Mila no longer could feel his grip.

A moment later the white mist enveloped Mila and she could see nothing but the monotonous color.

This situation didn't scare Mila, as this wasn't the first time she'd been surrounded by this color. Instead, her current state reminded her of the padding room, the room where she was placed when she was still at the research center.

It was like a déjà vu, just as Mila thought of the research center, she couldn't help but think of Aaric as well. Where was he now? What was he doing? And was he looking for her?

Mila's thoughts about Aaric and those worried questions were interrupted when she saw that the white mist around her was starting to shrink before she found herself in a forest now.

No...not a forest...

Mila knew what this place was…

When the white mist dissipated and she could clearly see what was really going on, Mila found herself in the garden behind the castle, where she could see its four towers from where she was standing.

But, what was Mila doing here?

Mila realized that this was a memory. Her sister's memory. Then where was Anna?

Mila started looking for Anna's figure around her, until she saw her sister's white hair, the same color as her own.

Anna was walking in the opposite direction, she stepped hastily away from the castle.

Mila didn't know that her sister had ever left the castle grounds… because all she knew Anna as; an obedient older sister who tended to have less desire for adventure. Completely the opposite of her personality.

In her memory, Anna seemed to be in a hurry, her brows furrowed as her hair swayed due to her fast pace.

Like it or not, Mila also ran to be able to catch up to her sister.

Is there someone chasing Anna? Mila looked over her shoulder, while running to make sure that no one else or other creature was chasing her and there really wasn't.

So, the only reason was; Anna was in a hurry to meet someone? Mila began to create her own assumptions while reading the situation.

But, who would Anna meet at a time when the sun was still glaring? Granted, the noble vampires wouldn't be too affected by the sun, but that didn't mean they would be comfortable under the scorching light like now.

Even in Anna's memory alone, Mila felt uncomfortable with the bright light shining on her.

Mila ran after Anna for about two minutes before her sister finally stopped, she looked calm and not breathless, even though she had run fast and far, Mila was not much different.

Anna stood with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths of air as if she was searching for a familiar scent.

The dry afternoon air blew and Mila could smell the leaves around them, feeling barren and tasted bad.

However, Anna smiled and turned to her left. Her eyes, which were the same color as Mila's, looked expectantly in that direction, as her smile grew wider.

Who was Anna waiting for?

Anna's memory was so clear and sharp, that even Mila felt as if she was living in the present. Even though this was actually just a memory from fifty-five years ago that her sister had.

Mila looked in the same direction and a moment later someone appeared from behind the shady trees. He wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans, and a matching hat.

But, as soon as he saw Anna, the man took off his hat and spread his arms wide, as if inviting Anna to come into his arms.

This was a scene that shocked Mila to her core. Not only because Anna secretly met a man outside the palace, but because the man was a human.

How could Anna relate to humans? How could she meet one of them, when their people had been at war for decades and became irreconcilable enemies.

"I'm glad you came," the man said with a happy smile on his lips, but those lips then touched Anna's as he lowered his head and Anna didn't seem to mind it.