My dear friends!

I have to apologize to you for the following news. But I’m going to take a break that week. I’m a little sick and I have absolutely no strength for anything.

It was so hard for me to make this decision, but I understand that I will not be able to do my job better if I continue in the same state.

I promise that I will fill in all the missing Chapters with a mass release as soon as I get better.

I thank each of you in advance. ❤ Your Ana.

***

- To be reborn? So I’ll never see my daughter again? – the king of Riliya looked completely distraught when he rushed to attack the elf, but was completely blocked by some supernatural magic that caused him to hang in the air.

- Listen to the rest before making any stupid conclusions. - Ivrim replied calmly. – It would be possible if Artemis’s soul was full-fledged, not torn, but we do not have such a possibility, so all Artemis was capable of was strengthening little Thea’s own powers and helping her survive.

- And how then to explain what I see before my eyes now? - Raphael hinted at the image of his late wife.

- It’s nothing more than a phantom. - she replied. - I can’t return myself to this world, so my appearance is based on the powers that I gave to Thea. This is her body, which has become a haven for a part of my soul and my powers.

- When will she be back? - The vampire asked coldly.

Artemis’s heart shrank to the point of impossibility, to a debilitating pain that she could not discard only at will.

Her husband, the man with whom they shared their wedding vows, for whom she could have died, now looked at her as a stranger.

- As soon as I let her do it. - Artemis proudly lifted her chin.

She was uncomfortable with the lack of warmth and love, her pride was hurt, her feelings were trampled. It was very painful for her, but she swallowed this acrid lump in her throat, because she could guess that everyone was just in a state of shock right now.

- Your daughter is an exceptional magician, very strong. - Ivrim continued. – She was not only able to awaken the artifact and summon it, but also absorb all its powers, being still a very tiny baby. I was forced to block her powers so that it wouldn’t become a problem, otherwise she could just die at the hands of cruel people.

- Even if everything is as you say, then why give access over Thea’s body to this woman? – Horel hung in the air, but actively waved his hands, as if it could somehow help him.

- Your question brings us to what I did it for. - The elf nodded, pleased that they had come to this point. – Teanna’s power cannot be fully awakened yet to be able to defeat the witches. I’m just her guide to help make it happen. I can’t tell any of you more yet.

The Elf King crossed his fingers on his hands and flexed them until a characteristic crackling crunch was heard.

- It’s just important to remember that she’s safe. In the meantime... welcome to Eriad.

The portal behind him sparkled with renewed vigor, a bright flash, active swirls circling to the very center. The elf did not wait for anyone and was the first to enter the portal as quickly as he appeared.

- I’ll be able to clarify a lot for you later, Raf. – said Artemis and disappeared into the portal after the elf, leaving a trail of brown hair behind her.

- What are you going to do? - Horel hissed, still hovering in the air. Was this idiotic elf king going to leave him like this forever? – You have to give me back my daughter.

- I know that without you. - The vampire replied in an eerily cold voice, still seething inwardly with anger.

Just the sight of his dear Artemis’s face stuck a stake in his heart, making him forget how to breathe. He wanted so badly to touch her, to feel that she was real... he wanted everything he saw to be true. But the truth was even more cruel when he realized that his love for the Riliya princess was so strong that he could not accept the hand of his own wife.

Raphael was torn between what he should do and what he wanted. He loved them both. Strong, boundless, to the point of stupefaction. But he didn’t know how to reason with the guilt that was eating away at him from the inside. The feeling of guilt in front of his wife for betraying her love and falling in love with another three centuries later. A sense of guilt in front of Thea that he was happy to see Artemis alive again, the way he remembered her on their wedding day.

He had to sort himself out before he could figure out how to behave with Artemis. He chose the path of restraint and delay. And yet he felt the weakness all over his body very vividly, as if his own helplessness hit him in the gut, making itself felt. He felt like a complete jerk.

- You can’t come with us, Horel. – He said, waving his hand in the air and the King of Riliya fell to the floor with a resounding slap. - You still have responsibilities and our agreement.

Horel got to his feet, resting his hands on his knees and feeling his middle age with all his cramped muscles.

Raphael cut his palm with elongated claws and collected a small amount into a bowl that the king handed him.

-That should be enough to make a cure. – he said.

- Go already and return the consciousness of my daughter, even though that woman is your wife. That’s the least of my worries, you know. - The king blurted out, flying out of the room like a whirlwind, slamming the door.

- So what are we waiting for?- Adeline was indignant, who finally found her voice. – Are we going to go or not?

She grabbed Klaus by the hand, luring him into the portal with her, and then Carrick, Sean and Cornel moved there.

- I’m coming with you. - Terrence clearly added, who had already made up his mind long before he found out about the elf, the portal and the Eriad.

Raphael did not answer and with a detached expression on his face turned on his heels, waving his cloak and disappearing into the vortex of the portal.