Galen - The Untold Tales of Frelanna Forest

Chap 39: The curse

18 years ago…

“Melina, are you sure this is your last decision?”

“Yes, father.”

In the middle of the huge hall of House Hartridge mansion, all of the family members were sitting around the round table with totally of five chairs. However, there was one single chair being left empty. It was the seat of Madame Hartridge was currently unable to attempt the meeting.

All of these people have particular appearance with platinum white hair and aquamarine eyes…

Felica was sitting right next to Melina. She was showing their father her eventual look that her decision had been settled and nothing could change her anymore.

For a reason, Melina had fallen in love with a young king of Frelanna. She wanted to give up her Black Magic power and began her life under the light.

Opposite with Felica, it was the seat of the leader of the family, Dominic Hartridge. He looked so young as if he just entered thirty years old. His long white hair had been tied ponytail, revealed clearly his closed eyes while carefully thinking. His black elegant suit even gave him more powerful atmosphere of a noble gentleman.

He might look like this. However, he had been already more than 40 years old and a father of those three young adults sitting in front of him. It was the consequence for anyone got involved into Black Magic: The appearance of every member in House Hartridge would stay unchanged when they reached twenty years old. But trading back, they had very weak health and their life-span would be halved.

The origin of the curse had been known by all of them. But they never wanted to recall this so it was a sensitive and limited topic to talk in this house.

Because their body was involved with Black Magic, they had to live at the boundary between the real world and Black Magic Realm, where their family’s mansion was located. That was why it was a challenge for them to find a partner: The leader of House Hartridge had no choice to kidnap a young partner from the real world and remove their memory. Not only that, they had to continue to House Hartridge’s bloodline by giving birth to their children.

But certain leaders in the recent generations found this method was too brutal and cruel. So, after giving birth to the children, they would give back the memory to their partner and explain them everything happened. Then, their partner could freely choose between: Stay as the husband/wife of House Hartridge’s leader, or leaving the mansion and live a normal life as a mortal human, but their memory about House Hartridge would be removed and they couldn’t remember anything anymore.

Elise Hartridge – who were the current wife of Dominic was treated by the same way and she decided to stay becoming his wife. However, she didn’t live at the mansion, but her homeland the world of light instead. She supported her husband by doing the business at the real world and only took once per year to come home. That was why she couldn’t attempt this urgent meeting.

“Ehem, you know Melina…” Dominic gave a sigh after thinking “I don’t want to prohibit you stepping out of the light, I just worry about you.”

“Why, father?”

“We belong to the darkness, and our age would just be around forty. If you marry a king in the world of light, it means we cannot bring him here and I can’t imagine how shortened your life will be...”

“Yes, I know about it too. You have talked about it many of times before. But I truly love him, father. I hope you can listen to my wish.”

This is the first time a child of House Hartridge decided to live at the world of light, so Dominic couldn’t figure out what would happen to them. If he could remove the curse of Black Magic power from Melina, it wouldn’t be problematic like this.

“Father, I think we can accept Melina’s wish to discover what will happen to us if we live at the world of light. In the worst case, we could bring her back here.” Lambert supported Melina and tried to convince Dominic “Also, mother is still at the world of light. She can take care of her.”

“Easier to said than done, son. To open the gate connecting our mansion and the world of light, it would cost a lot of aura energy. Even all of us combined together, we just can open the gate once per year.”

“No way…”

“That’s why I’m asking you to let her go out.” Felica said.

“Father, please…”

Well, if this his daughter’s deepest wish, Dominic couldn’t stop her anymore…

“I got it, Melina. It seems I cannot stop you anymore.”

“Thank you, father!!”

***

Melina and Dominic gave each other their hug before departing. Once she stepped to the gate, she would never see her family for a long while.

“I’ll try to contact your mother as soon as the gate is about to open.”

“Sure, thank you father.”

“If the king mistreats you, call us. We will give drag him into our darkness to teach him the lesson.”

“Hahaha thank you brother, sister. I’m sure Albert is a kind and caring guy, he won’t hurt me.”

“Then I’m relieved… So, take care, sister.”

When the gate connecting their mansion and the palace of Frelanna Kingdom opened, Albert – who was the current king of Frelanna had been kindly waiting for her in front of the gate.

“Goodbye, father, brother, sister. I’ll miss you all!”

Seeing her little sister stepping out to the light with excitement and hugged the king, Felica also felt her heart being warmed up. She looked at the new couple who were cuddling in happiness, she somehow smiled as well.

***

Felica went speechless as she heard the request from Galen. She released a sigh and replied Galen with cold tone.

“I think it’s better if you forget this idea.”

“Why, auntie?”

“Do you understand this power of House Hartridge was the curse? Once you step into it, you won’t be able to see the light anymore.”

How Felica couldn’t remember? Back then, after marrying Albert, Melina also had a difficulty life to adapt with the harsh environment at there as well. She had to live inside the dark room, never be able to walk outside. Because if she did, the sunlight could burn her alive.

There was a time Felica tried to visit her sister by herself as the family’s represent at the palace in a night ball. She noticed all the look of the surroundings. They were seeing her as a weird person because she had to cover every part of her body from the sparkly light in the palace. No one could see her face, how she looked like, so they discussed and pointed at her as a weirdness.

Felica even caught their attention more when she and her sister united and talked each other. They both were wearing a thick coat for winter despite it was currently summer time. And yes, Felica knew it too. They began suspect both Melina and her as the witches.

Those such inconveniences caused by the curse of Black Magic would be super problematic for Galen, a true human of light. And she never wanted it to happen to him. Felica also swore herself, she would revenge on the one who was the beginning, the reason of her family’s suffer.

“Galen, you are holding the seed of Galadriel, right? What will happen if your body is overwhelmed by the combination of light and darkness together?”

“Ah…” Galen couldn’t answer “I haven’t ever figure it out before.”

“You will die, like how your mother did.” Felica continue, while grabbing his shoulders “I know you are seeking new power to be stronger and win Queen Meriss. But don’t rush! If you die, the goddess seed inside you will die as well, you understand?”

If he couldn’t, it couldn’t be helped… Galen replied Felica with a nob of his head.

Suddenly, among the silence between them, there was a sound like cracking noise near the fireplace.

Galen opened his eyes widely when noticing the egg in the incubating cage was shaking.

“Oh hoho.” Felica’s attention directed to the egg “It seems our little guy had intervened us so right time.”

“Auntie, what will happen if it hatches into a monster…?”

Galen was thinking an idea to give away the creature from the egg to Felica. He found out inside the mansion there were many goblins, so aunt Felica might love monster?

“…Galen, they aren’t goblin.”

“Pardon?”

“…I’ll explain to you when we have the right time. But now, look at this…”

From a little c***k, the egg shell slowly got broken opened and showed them both a new born creature…

…it was an adorable lizard having beautiful blue color of the ocean. It had four tiny wings with two legs only. According to this look, at first Galen thought it was an Aquarus – a water type dragon. But when he looked at its lower body part which didn’t have any back legs, instead it was a smooth membrane of a fish tail.

What kind of creature is that?

“Ohhhh!! It was a draco – water type.” Felica sparkled her eyes as she realized “Where do you get that draco egg?”

Would aunt Felica believe if he said he was scammed by a business bastard at Eastpine City? By trading two coins of gold with this draco egg.

Galen was about to give away that draco to Felica, but…

“Kiuh… kiuh…”

That water draco looked at Galen and hugged his hand tightly with its tiny front legs. He wondered while trying to swallow his tear, he guessed that draco was seeing him as its mom now!!

Galen was confident at raising a pet (like how he did to Frank). But currently, he was preparing for the war and the food resource was very limited. So he wasn’t capable to raise a pet right this moment.

But… how could he refuse to accept it when it showed him its cute candy eyes? That draco probably might understand what he said earlier!!

Galen was about to ask of Felica would keep the draco until the war against Queen Meriss ended, but she explained.

“Draco is very close to the human. But in this such special case where a draco witness their master right at their first moment in life, they will follow their master until the end of their life.”

Wasn’t it like that draco seeing their master as their mom?

“Kinda I think.” Felica laughed “Well, it’s ok! Draco is a strong species, they will be able to fly at their second day of life and you could even bring it along your adventure!”

“But I’m going to fight in the war, let me think the way how to take care of him…”

Galen was losing in his thought. In a sudden, Liana was passing by the living room since she wanted to go to the toilet.

From half-opening eyes by being sleepy, they were widely opened when she found a unfamiliar thing appeared in Galen’s hug.

“Eh?! A water draco?!” Liana sparkled her eyes “Wait, how…”

“Oh, Liana. It just newly hatched from the egg.” Galen answered with a smile as he noticed Liana was here too “From now on, I will adopt this little guy and he will be our new member in the adventure team.”

“Aye, look so cute!!! Nice to mee you, little one!!!”

Liana was about to raise her hand forward and rub the draco’s head. Suddenly, it reacted back by almost biting her finger.

“Kiuh! Kiuhh!!” It angrily screeched and hugged Galen tightlier.

Oh damn, this draco had so high possession…

“Aye aye. Then let me tell you something, little one.” Slowly, Liana showed her evilest eyes and cracking her fists “Since we are both from wyvern family, I won’t have any concern to teach you a lesson.”

“Wait wait! Liana, calm down!!!” Galen had to stop Liana before her flame power could blow up the mansion away! “He is still a baby so don’t hurt him!!”

“What are you talking about? That’s a freaking FEMALE!! Look at her!!!”

Liana pointed her finger to the baby draco who was showing the candy eyes in front of Galen again.

Seeing Galen putting all his attention to the baby draco and petting, cuddling her, Liana felt like she was having an opponent…

The baby draco was aware the threat coming from Liana as well. But she wasn’t scared, instead, she began aggressively jumped from Galen’s hug and confronted Liana.

“Kiuhh!! Kiuhh!!!”

“Aye you are challenging me?! ROARRR!!!!”

Liana burst her fire out. She blamed the mansion’s ceiling wasn’t tall enough for her to completely changed into full dragon form.

“Roar! Grr!! Grr!!”

“Kiuh! Kiuh!!”

“Woof woof!!”

“Meow meow!!”

Sitting in the middle of the fire and the water, Felica smiled.

“Hohoho, it has been so long time this mansion wasn’t as lively as this.” Then, she asked Galen “Galen, have you decided a name for your baby girl yet?”

“Er… how about… Mira? She is water type so and Mira means water right?”

“That’s a nice idea.”

Galen stayed hopeless, just could watch Liana and Mira arguing each other with their incomprehensible draconic language…