It had been weeks, and yet the news that Anastasia and Hildr were bonded was still the main topic on all the news channels, in all the bars, and even in the senate.
This bond brought with it hope for the Draugr and the Strigoi to finally live in peace with each other. The people on both sides were overwhelmingly in support of this bond, and yet the higher-ups were less than pleased.
Anastasia was not pleased, and neither was Hildr.
Even in this kind of situation, Hildr milked the situation for all the benefits it could provide.
News of this bond had reached the northern barracks. This was the base of the Lemuria Guards that were stationed in the city.
These soldiers were there to ensure that no one and nothing disturbed the Sol King's peace.
Among these soldiers, news of the bond was also a hot topic. They discussed the matter with enthusiasm and vigour.
"I heard that the cursed bitch put you to the beating," said a short soldier. He sat down on a table, opposite another soldier, a captain of the Lemuria Guard. This was the same captain that had blocked Hildr's path the first time she entered the capital.
Hildr used her Beguiling Eye to bewitch his mind, forcing him to slaughter his own men. Things would have gotten much worse had the Premier not arrived and put an end to Hildr's evil.
After that incident, Captain Stevens was admonished by the Premier and even his fellow soldiers, people he had called brothers for hundreds of years, had grown hostile towards him. After all, he had killed fellow soldiers. Even though the fact that he had been under the influence of the Beguiling Eye had been made known to the public, this did not stop people from hating him. He had become an outcast in a place he used to call home. He had been cut off by his family, and his last name stripped away from him. His bank accounts had been emptied to compensate the families of the soldiers he had killed.
He had previously been quite wealthy, but that was all in the past.
Captain Stevens looked at the short man that was seated opposite him, and his eyes fell even lower. This short man had been his closest friend up until that incident.
Their friendship had survived time, women, and countless other tribulations, but it was not strong enough to survive the death of a son.
Among the soldiers that Captain Stevens had killed was the short soldier's only son.
When the young man joined the guard a few decades back, the short soldier had secretly pulled countless strings, using all his connections, so as to get his son into Captain Stevens' squad. He believed that his friend would most certainly take good care of his only son.
Captain Stevens had also promised to do just that, after all, he was also the young man's godfather.
In the end, the young man fell to Captain Stevens' sword, his godfather's sword.
This was a true tragedy, but it had not even made it to the news.
For the bond between Hildr, the true perpetrator, and some other Child of the Night to last for weeks on the news was no different from rubbing salt into injury.
Captain Stevens had apologized to his friend countless times, but forgiveness was nowhere to be found.
Still, Stevens hoped that with time, his friend would come to see the truth of the matter.
"You killed my son, and now you won't even look at me," the short soldier barked out. His rage was pure and undiluted by the passage of time.
His eyes were red from all the tears he had shed over this time, and his hair was a mess.
He looked like he was one step away from becoming a beggar.
Captain Stevens raised his head slowly and looked into his friend's eyes.
"All I can hope for is your forgiveness, and yet I know that I do not deserve such a thing. My crimes are truly unforgiveable," said the captain. The short soldier could hear the sincerity and pain in his former friend's words. He paused for a moment, but this only increased his rage.
"Asking for my forgiveness is far from enough to make up for your sins. You know very well the struggle I went through to get this one son of mine. You killed this son of mine. Tell me, can your death even make up for such a sin?"
The short man continued with his verbal rampage. Captain Stevens did not stop him. He kept silent and took it all.
He listened, and the more he heard, the more his mind came undone.
He began having ideas, and this was a very dangerous thing for someone like him. He remembered his past and contemplated his future. Even after his friend left the room, the captain continued thinking as though he had come across the greatest mystery. Days came and went, but the captain did not leave his room.
On the fourth day, he finally opened his eyes, and in the green, one could see a fire that had been ignited out of nowhere.
The captain stood up and, without saying a single word to anyone, he left the base and headed to the Eastern Division of the city. This was where the academy was located. He walked while keeping to the shadows. He easily avoided all the monitoring Magia placed on the streets. He finally disappeared among the masses after entering a dark alley where he removed his military uniform and wore a black suit that made him look like the hundreds of businessmen in the city.
It took him a few minutes to reach the academy, but he had no intention of going in through the front door. He was here to do something that was undoubtedly illegal.
With his training, he bypassed the intricate defences placed all around the academy, and just like that, he completed the first step of his plan. Inside Sol Palace, the main palace of the academy where all lectures took place, Hildr suddenly shivered as though death had just touched her soul.