Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 343: In pain

Still, the worry in his eyes did not fade, ’’I have read about heavenly tribulations when I was young but I had never seen it before. I am now aware of what to do to help him. And I do not even know if that is possible,’’ A frown etched between Cardan’s brows.

’’What if I say that it is?"

The voice had Luciana and Cardan turned around within an instant, their eyes lighting up with hope the moment they saw the man standing behind them.

’’What do I have to do?" Cardan looked at Rezeph with unwavering determination.

Since Rezeph approached him out of all the people, Cardan understood that there was something he could do about the situation. Otherwise, the man would not be walking over to him for a leisurely talk at a time like this.

Rezeph raised his hand and patted Cardan’s shoulder, a hint of pride in his eyes.

He was not that fond of the woman who birthed the boy but that did not change the fact that Cardan, at the end of the day was Atlas’ son and the man’s undying loyalty and bravery was the very evidence of that fact.

Rezeph was about to speak when he saw the slight pallor on Cardan’s face. It was not apparent but it did not go unnoticed by him. His gaze traced the man from head to toe before he looked into his eyes, an inquisitive look in his eyes, ’’Can you do it?"

Cardan stiffened briefly but he nodded without hesitation.

The small exchange went unnoticed by Luciana.

’’Shield him with your powers,’’ Rezeph said, ’’The longer you persist, the lesser he will feel the pain before the heavenly tribulation gradually fades.’’

The moment he finished speaking, a black glint struck Aleister, and if one looked closely, the ink-like pattern had swirls of golden inside it.

Soon enough, the small pattern started enlarging and gradually, Aleister was encased in a black shield, preventing one from having a proper look at him, through the clouds of black and golden. Only his silhouette was barely visible.

Rezeph crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked at the sky, the intensity of the thunder did not seem to be fading in the slightest.

’’Cardan!" Luciana panicked as Cardan’s face turned paler gradually but she did not dare to touch him, afraid that she would harm him in any way, ’’Your Majesty, you need to help him. He..’’ Luciana glanced at the King pleadingly, eyes welling up with tears.

’’He is not fragile. He will not die,’’ Rezeph gazed at Cardan briefly.

’’But.. He...’’ Luciana blinked away her tears as she looked at Cardan in concern.

Rezeph sighed as he glanced at the both of them, ’’The life of young people,’’ he sighed again.

’’Your Majesty, will my nephew be fine?" Duke Maverick came rushing towards the man, panting and panicking.

’’And here is the life of old ones,’’ Rezeph closed his eyes.

But in the next moment, a slither of burn seemed to have crossed past his hand.

His eyes snapped open and he immediately destroyed the flame that was approaching Aleister.

He turned around and glanced at Esme who had just arrived at the royal gardens.

Before Esme could act on her own again, Rezeph blocked her path.

Esme’s gaze shifted from Aleister.

Rezeph shook his head at her, ’’We cannot help Cardan with this.’’

’’He is in pain,’’ Esme whispered as she glanced at Aleister, her shaking fingers curling into a fist, ’’I can’t see him in pain. If we help..."

’’You and I have pure divine powers, unlike Cardan who had inherited a part of the black magic of the witch’s clan. His powers are not purely divine. If we use divine powers to protect Aleister, it would provoke nature even more, intensifying the pain being inflicted on him. The thunderstrikes would be fiercer.’’

Gasps and whispers reverberated in the place.

Esme followed the source of the noise and glanced at Rowan whose lifeless body seemed to be showing some movements.

Cardan’s face turned pale as he exerted more of his strength, intensifying the aura of his magic till the shield around Aleister was impenetrable.

With a loud roar, lightning struck Aleister again, shattering the shield around him within an instant and encasing him in a blinding light.

"No!" Esme closed her eyes, flinching away at the sight of it.

The sky turned clear and silence descended in the royal gardens of the crystal castle once again.

...

’’They said it won’t take you long to wake up but it has been three days and two nights. Al, I detest it when you keep your eyes closed like this,’’ Esme whispered as she wiped Aleister’s face and body with a silken cloth, gently gliding it across the garish wounds that he had accumulated three days ago. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

When the shield around him shattered at the last moment, the last thunderstrike gave Aleister countless wounds over his body and some of them looked deadly and vicious.

But with Elder Hall’s medicine skills and Esme’s and Rezeph’s healing powers, most of Aleister’s smaller wounds were healed and the deeper ones were gradually healing.

Esme placed the silk cloth aside on the bedside table as she inched closer to Aleister and raked her fingers through his hair, combing them gently with her fingers, ’’People are worried about you and you do not seem to care. Do you want your uncle to leave his kingdom behind and worry about you all the time? Or do you want Rowan to drown himself in guilt and self-accusations that he brought you harm? Leo is still sleeping and recovering, what will I tell him when he is awake? What about Cardan? I might stop trusting him again if you don’t wake up to remind me that everyone makes mistakes and they should be given another chance. I.."

Esme’s throat choked slightly as her eyes roamed across his sleeping face, so silent, so peaceful, reminding her of the night when she thought that he breathed his last in her arms.