ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 506: That’s What Happened

Back in Queen Lucy’s grand office, the air was calm yet thick with unspoken tension. The faint scent of parchment and lavender incense filled the room as Queen Lucy herself, Mystica, and Magnus sat in attentive silence, their eyes fixed on Galen, who had begun recounting the story of Liam’s parents.

"I must say," Magnus began, lounging lazily on the couch near the wine shelf, a glass swirling in his hand, "that’s quite some story there, Gally. You sure know how to drop bombs like it’s nothing."

"Indeed," Mystica added smoothly from her seat across the desk. Her dark purple eyes gleamed with intrigue as she crossed one leg over the other. "To think Serah Magna, the great knight of Solara, was executed rather than slain in battle against demons... that’s not just surprising—it’s tragic."

Lucy’s gaze was steady, her emerald eyes gleaming beneath the warm light spilling from the chandelier above. "So, Galen," she said softly, "after Serah’s death, what happened next?"

Galen, sitting across from her with a relaxed posture, took a slow sip of his wine before answering. "Soon after she was executed, I got in touch with Marcus," he began, his tone calm and detached, though his eyes held a faint flicker of memory. "But he didn’t need me to tell him what happened. Somehow... he already knew. Then he told me to meet him in Caelmoor. Except, when I got there—he wasn’t the one I met."

"Who was it then?" Magnus asked curiously, leaning forward a bit.

"His father," Galen replied. "Billy. That’s when he told me Marcus had already left."

"Left?" Mystica tilted her head, brows slightly furrowed. "Left to where exactly?"

Galen shook his head. "Didn’t know. Billy didn’t either. But he said Marcus was sure he had something meaningful to do—something only he could accomplish. And honestly..." he paused briefly, staring into the depths of his glass, "over the years, I’ve come to think he actually did something meaningful—and died doing it."

Lucy’s expression softened, her curiosity evident. "And what do you think that was?" she asked.

Galen’s crimson eyes lifted to meet hers. "Ever wondered why Blood Demon sightings nearly vanished fifteen years ago?"

Both Mystica and Lucy exchanged quick glances of surprise. Mystica’s lips parted slightly before she spoke. "Are you suggesting Marcus hunted down most of the Blood Demons by himself?"

Galen gave a faint, almost tired smirk. "I’m not saying he did... but it’s a possibility. To some degree, at least."

The room fell into a contemplative silence. The only sound was the faint crackle of the fireplace.

Finally, Lucy spoke, voice low but certain. "You might not be wrong. I always thought the Blood Demons vanished because of the decline in dark mages—but if Marcus was involved..." She leaned back in her chair, eyes distant. "Then that changes quite a lot."

Galen shrugged lazily, the faintest ghost of a grin tugging at his lips, while Mystica rested her chin on her palm, lost in thought.

"You know," Magnus began, breaking the stillness, "I’ve been wondering something. Why was your mother, Queen Seralyne, away when she knew her daughter was captured and about to be executed? Not to be rude, of course—just curious."

"She didn’t know," Galen replied simply. "No one did. Only Valemir and Tharion. Tharion kept the truth hidden from everyone. It was the only way he could twist Serah’s death into a heroic one—claiming she fell in battle instead of being betrayed."

Magnus nodded slowly, expression sobering. "I see..."

"Then how did you know?" Mystica asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I didn’t," Galen admitted, setting his glass down on the desk. "I only had a hunch. I’d just come back from a mission when a guard mentioned Tharion was in the courtroom... and that Serah had returned. That was the only reason I managed to have my last conversation with her."

Lucy nodded slightly, as if confirming something in her mind. "I thought so."

Galen looked up. "How?"

"During the summit we held before the war with Sylvathar," Lucy replied, her tone even, "you said a few things about your sister’s death. And by the way you said them, it was clear both Queens of Solara and Crescent had no idea what their husbands had done."

Galen gave a quiet chuckle, leaning back. "Yeah... I guess I did say a lot that day." He took another sip, eyes distant with recollection.

Mystica leaned forward slightly, curiosity piqued. "By the way," she began, "what happened with Liam afterward? You didn’t exactly stay with him to protect him like you were supposed to. But... I doubt you abandoned him on purpose."

The room stilled again, anticipation thick as smoke. Even the air itself seemed to wait for Galen’s answer.

"I did watch over Liam," Galen began, his tone steady yet distant. "At least until he was about four or five, I think. I visited him and Billy quite frequently back then—every week or two, whenever I could sneak away from everything without drawing attention. But later, Billy told me to stop coming around. He said the chances of me being followed were growing higher by the day, that eyes from both kingdoms were starting to take notice." He leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes half-lidded as if watching memories flicker before him. "I doubted it, honestly. But I trusted Billy. So, I listened... and stopped visiting."

He paused, swirling the wine in his glass before continuing. "I still tried to keep watch from a distance whenever I could, but that became impossible after Billy suddenly relocated with Liam. One day they were there, and the next, gone. Billy contacted me once, told me not to worry—that it wasn’t a big deal. Said he just wanted to teach Liam a few things personally, that he was nearing his end and wanted to prepare the boy himself. He promised that when Liam was ready, he’d call me to come get him."

Lucy folded her hands under her chin, eyes locked on him. "And I suppose... that call never came?"

"Yeah," Galen said quietly. "It never did. I waited for weeks. Then months. Eventually, I realized something had gone very wrong. I searched for them everywhere I could but I never once found Liam. It was as if both of them had vanished off the map. Ironically, in the end, the kid found me instead... by showing up at the Dark Knight Academy years later."

A heavy silence filled the room for a brief moment before Magnus, who had been lounging lazily with a glass of wine, raised a brow and smirked. "Hey, all this happened around the same time you left your family and came to the Tempest Kingdom, right?"

"Yeah," Galen said simply. "Why?"

Magnus chuckled, his grin widening. "Oh, nothing really. I just finally get why you were so broody back in the day." He lifted his glass slightly, teasing. "Turns out, our mighty Galen Magna is a terrible uncle. Guess guilt really does look good on you, Gally."

Galen rolled his eyes. "You done?"

"Not even close," Magnus said, laughing. "But hey, it’s not like it was entirely your fault. You had no control over Billy’s decisions. The man made his own choices. Still..." he tilted his head, grin turning wicked, "you were a very bad uncle. I mean, after Liam enrolled in the academy, you went to insane lengths to hide the fact that the kid was a dark mage. You pulled strings, erased records, made up fake profiles—hell, Mystica over here basically ended up being the kid’s mother while you kept vanishing like a ghost. Poor Moony had to play caretaker, emotional support, and memory eraser all at once."

Mystica snorted softly but said nothing, just twirling a strand of her dark hair.

Magnus continued, clearly enjoying himself. "You even had her wipe a good number of memories to keep that secret buried. Instructors, students, council members—poof. Gone. Like it never existed. That’s some shady work, even for you—"

"Wait," Lucy cut in sharply, her voice slicing through the humor. "You had Mystica erase people’s memories?"

Galen waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah. Just the bits about Liam being a dark mage. It was the academy board council, a few instructors, and some students. It was nothing major and nobody got hurt. I think."

Lucy’s gaze hardened, her emerald eyes narrowing slightly. "Galen..." she said slowly, "let’s make sure erasing memories doesn’t become a habit in this kingdom."

Her eyes flicked briefly to Mystica, who only gave an innocent shrug and looked away, pretending to admire the windowpane.

"I doubt that’ll be necessary now," Magnus said, resting one arm over the couch. "The kid’s already been seen by all three kingdoms. It’s been six months since the last war ended—by now, word’s already spread that Liam Hunter is not only the son of the late Serah Magna but also a dark mage. That secret’s out for good."

Lucy sighed, her expression softening. "I suppose you’re right. The real problem now is dealing with how the other kingdoms will react—especially Crescent. They won’t take this lightly."

Galen exhaled slowly, setting his glass down with a soft clink. "That shouldn’t be much of an issue. Valemir won’t be stupid enough to test my patience. Not yet, anyway. And my fath—" he paused, grimacing faintly before finishing, "Tharion still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that his daughter had a child. He’s not ready to face that truth yet. So for now... we’re safe."

The three of them exchanged silent looks before quietly nodding in agreement.

"Well then," Lucy said finally, her voice soft but laced with concern, "the only thing left to worry about now is whether Liam will wake up from that deep sleep of his."

"I believe he will," Mystica said calmly, her voice carrying quiet confidence. "The last time I checked with Dove, his brain activity was still strong. It’s as if he’s dreaming deeply—his mind is alive, just... not ready to return yet."

"Let’s hope he wakes soon," Lucy murmured, her eyes softening as she stared at the faint glow of the fireplace. "Because when he does, the world won’t be the same anymore."