The Dark Fairy King
Chapter 57: Our Haunted Past

Chapter 57: Our Haunted Past

"Okay... we don’t have time for an art class," I blurted, desperate to derail what was about to happen.

"Come on, Lumera," Scarlette chimed in quickly, her voice unnaturally sweet. "We really should be focusing on practicing your powers first. We need you ready."

Devran crossed his arms, giving us both a slow, unimpressed look.

"And here I thought I was the one with secrets," he mocked.

"Secrets?" Lumera blinked at him, wide-eyed and innocent.

"Can’t you tell? They’re hiding something." Devran smirked, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Just draw the damn picture."

"The thing is..." Lumera said, reaching into her tunic, "I already have it."

She unfolded a crumpled piece of paper and held up the drawing.

It was a perfect sketch—our old disguises. Charlotte and Ravos.

Devran paused mid-breath, staring at the drawing.

"Wait a minute..." He took a double take, his gaze flicking between the sketch and us. Again. And again.

Lumera beamed at him, waiting for confirmation.

"Yes," Devran finally said, almost absently. "That’s them. That’s who I gave the Midnight Orchid to—Your Majesties."

His gaze snapped up to Scarlette, then to me. Back to the drawing. Back to us. Again.

"What are you even doing?" Lumera snatched her drawing from his hands, annoyed. "Have you never seen a good artist’s impression before?"

"Lumera, I’m telling you. These people you drew are real." Devran’s voice was steady, but his stare was sharp. "So how could they be from your dreams?"

Lumera froze, processing the weight of those words.

"They’re real?" she whispered, barely breathing.

Then her face lit up. "That means I can find them! I can get answers! I’m not losing my mind!" She twirled on the spot, beaming. "I knew I wasn’t crazy!"

"Don’t pin your hopes up," Devran snorted. "They might be dead already."

"Or Lumera might need to see a psychiatrist," I teased.

Scarlette shot me a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

"You don’t understand," Lumera said, growing serious. "I dreamed that they were my guests. They stayed in my house. It was a different world—a place where only Light Fairies existed."

Devran scratched his head, unimpressed. "Yeah, no. I’m siding with King Veravos here. You probably need some medical help."

"Psycho," he whispered to me with a sly grin.

"I am not a psycho!" Lumera snapped. "Judorah killed me and wore my skin."

Devran raised an eyebrow. "I’m sure that was a super vivid dream."

"Then, Judorah recognized Charlotte as the Queen of Hearts and Ruin," Lumera pressed on.

Scarlette gulped.

"Which was strange because Charlotte was a Dark Fairy. And the Queen of Hearts and Ruin..." Lumera’s voice trailed off as she pointed straight at Scarlette. "Looks like her."

Devran’s eyes gleamed. "And he looks like Ravos, right?" he added, pointing at me.

Lumera nodded quickly.

"Told you, they were impersonators," Devran sighed. "Probably some rebels looking for a thrill."

"No, but Judorah called them Scarlette and Veravos," Lumera said firmly. "In my dream, I saw Judorah wearing my skin, speaking through me. I couldn’t control my body—I could only watch. I saw everything through her eyes."

Devran suddenly stumbled back and collapsed.

"Judorah..." he mumbled, gripping his head. "Why does that name feel so familiar?"

His breathing hitched. He looked up at me, then at Scarlette—eyes wide with terror.

Devran stumbled back, clutching his temples as if trying to hold his thoughts together. His breath came in ragged gasps, body shaking uncontrollably. "You... you killed me!" His voice cracked, raw and desperate, pointing a shaking finger at Scarlette. "You ripped my heart out! You used that magic you were explaining a while ago against me!"

Then he pointed at me. "And you—you sent me to die! You spoke into my removed heart and ordered me to charge straight into an army of Love Fairy guards. They slaughtered me!"

His breathing became ragged. His entire body trembled.

"I remember all of it!" He yelled before crouching down.

"No, no, no..." He hugged himself tightly, rocking in place. "This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. I thought I was given a second chance."

He whimpered, his voice cracking as he looked skyward. "Judorah... I was your servant. I followed everything you said... Please... help me..."

"I don’t think she went up there," I mocked. "You might want to look at the ground instead. Higher likelihood. The abyss is below."

Scarlette rolled her eyes and flicked her hand, releasing a soft red mist that quickly enveloped both Lumera and Devran. Within moments, they collapsed, unconscious.

"What a disaster," I sighed. "Do we need to find new council members now?"

"Sleeping spell," Scarlette said flatly, dusting her hands. "In case you were about to assume anything else."

Yes, I thought she killed them.

"Now what?" I grumbled.

"Now, we wait for them to wake up and prepare them for the Anti-Magic Mages’ ceremony, as planned," she replied. "And we need to figure out what to do with the Midnight Orchids too."

"And I will convince Lumera she needs to see a psychiatrist," I mocked.

"Veravos Spade!" Scarlette snapped, her voice dangerously sharp. "A person’s mental health isn’t some game you can play with. Got it?"

"It’s only logical, Scar..." I insisted. "If Lumera thinks her mind is broken, maybe—just maybe—she won’t dig into our secrets."

Scarlette’s jaw tightened. "Do our secrets matter so much now?" she challenged. "Considering what’s at stake? If those extremists win, they’ll take over key positions, destroy what’s left of our world. How many lives are you willing to sacrifice for a lie?"

"So... your grand plan is full transparency?" I asked, incredulous. "Seriously?"

"Yes," she said, softening. "No more lies, Veravos. That’s the only way forward now."

"Fine," I grumbled. "But transparency comes with conditions."

"What conditions?" she pressed.

"Devran is hiding secrets. So is Lumera. We’ll do it your way—but slowly. And if they don’t open up, don’t blame me for being nasty or twisting the truth."

Scarlette sighed, her resolve steeled. "Thanks for the warning. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, my Dark Fairy King."

Did I say I had a hunch that Pandora’s box was about to burst wide open?

Because that’s exactly what happened.

Turns out, we were all haunted by our pasts, our truths, and our destinies.

Que sera, sera is something weak people say when they choose to sit idle and watch the world burn.

I am not one of those people.

I will not let the world crumble.

Whatever the cost.