Jayden awoke with a throbbing pain in his head, dizziness, and nausea.

He had no idea where he was and where he had been last.

He only remembered when he was in the dungeon cell. He immediately got up and looked around the room for Elizah.

That was a terrible decision as he fell flat on the bed again the next moment. Pain ran through almost all of his joints, and his head throbbed heavily. He landed with a thud on the cot and grimaced.

“Prince Jayden,” there was a gentle voice, and Jade walked into the room with a tray in her hands.

“I really didn’t expect you to wake up so soon. There was so much smoke and you overused your magic dangerously. It’s quite a miracle that you even managed to open your eyes now,” she said and laid a hand on Jayden’s forehead and tried to slowly prop him up on a pillow.

“How long was I out?” Jayden asked as he rubbed his forehead. He didn’t understand what Jade meant by smoke or even the aspect that he had overused his magic.

“Almost a day. That’s mostly because you’re a warrior. Poor Elizah will take a lot longer to wake up. Warriors are naturally immune to any flames. But she isn’t,” Jade handed Jayden a tiny teacup with water and a few leaves inside it.

“What is this?” Jayden asked, and he observed the contents of the glass peculiarly.

“An infusion that Elizah usually uses to revitalize after overuse of magic,” Jade said and mixed it.

Jayden took a sip and made a face due to the weird taste.

“Did you add something weird to it?” Jayden asked, and Jade glared at him.

“An infusion of lemongrass and lavender. It’ll be good for you. Since you’re running a fever and are extremely weak,” Jade said, and Jayden tipped his head back and slowly sipped the drink.

“So what really happened?” Jayden asked as he set the cup down.

“That’s what I was going to ask you. All I saw was the south tower of the castle up in flames,” Jade said, and it finally came back to Jayden.

Immediately his biggest worry was about Elizah. When he put his power into the amulet, he lost all control, and the fire was everywhere. If Elizah got hit by the flames, he would never forgive himself.

“Where’s Elizah?” Jayden asked immediately and was about to get out of the bed, and Jade just held him down.

“Woah, you’ve just come around. Relax a bit, she’s in the next room,” Jade said and tried to calm Jayden down, but he was still worried.

“Can I see her?” Jayden asked.

“I’ll make a deal. Rest for two days, and I promise you can see her,” Jade said softly, and Jayden started to feel tired again.

“Did you mix a sleeping potion in that?” Jayden asked, and Jade smiled.

“Yes. You tend to forget how to look after yourself, so I decided to do it myself,” Jade said and helped Jayden lie back on the bed, and he closed his eyes tightly and fell into a deep sleep.

Two days later, he had enough strength to walk up to see Elizah, so Jade helped him step into Elizah’s room.

When Jayden saw Elizah, he almost gasped.

He was shocked, but there was also upset.

It was difficult to imagine that the girl wrapped up in bandages was Elizah. Still, freckled exposed half of her face was enough for Jayden to recognize her.

“She has a lot of injuries that don’t seem to heal,” Jade said, and there was apparent concern in her voice.

“What do you mean, don’t seem to heal?” Jayden asked, and he sat down at Elizah’s bedside.

Jade was careful with what she was about to say, so she was quiet for a moment.

“There’s a lot that the two of you don’t know. There’s a different force of magic at work in Elizah’s injuries,” Jade said.

“I’m still quite confused usually when I accidentally burn Elizah or you when I practice, it’s just a small burn mark, but her wounds were bleeding. If Noxaura used magic, she burned her. But burns don’t bleed,” Jayden said, and his brow furrowed.

Jade’s face mildly fell at that, and she knew she had to tell Jayden about Noxaura’s true powers and capability.

“That’s because they aren’t burn wounds. Noxaura’s magic is not exactly battle magic. It’s a deadly combination of battle magic and a cursed ability. Her dark magic makes the flames form a figure similar to a hot knife. At that point of time, the knife cuts through anything easily. After the cut is made however, the flames get unleashed so they can burn and damage the internal structures,,” Jade said softly.

Jayden just sat there swallowed in despair. The pain in his heart was hard to bear.

He was the son of such a monster. Did that mean that he’d end up using magic like his mother?

“So she can’t heal these wounds even if she wanted to,” Jayden said the bitter truth out loud. He was choking back tears.

Jade didn’t say anything and just placed a gentle hand on Jayden’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” Jade said softly.

He hid his head in his hands and let the tears fall. He was the reason Elizah would always remain scarred for her entire life. It was all his fault.

“Is Noxaura alive?” Jayden asked, and he looked up, and he felt a bitter taste in his mouth upon saying Noxaura’s name. After everything she’d done, she could no longer be called his mother.

“She’s not to be found. There was something else that was found when the palace burned down and the remains were excavated,” Jade said softly.

Jayden almost swore under his breath and said, “My father is dead, isn’t he?”

Jade only nodded solemnly.

“They were planning on conducting his funeral in a few days after you came around,” Jade said.

“Can I have a moment to myself?” Jayden asked softly, and Jade nodded before she walked out of the room.

He put his hands on Elizah’s bandaged palm, and he brought his head down to her hand and softly said, “Please live, Elizah. I can’t lose you as well.”

The hand was limp and cold, but he heard a hoarse voice calling out.

“Jayden?”