(Taerynn’s point of view)

When Rowan saw him bloodied from head to toe with a pale human in his arms, he almost dropped the pile of papers and exclaimed, “My Lord?!”

“Where’s Limmer?” Taerynn snapped. There was no time to waste.

“I told her to prepare your bath since I sensed you retur—”

He didn’t wait to let him finish and rushed to his castle wing. Rowan followed closely as they went through the maze of corridors and stairways. With each step he took, the castle bloomed to life, removing the eerie aura, dark halls, dust, mold, cobwebs, and so on. Everything that made it look abandoned disappeared now that its king had returned.

When Snow White groaned and coughed up blood, Taerynn scoffed. “I left him in your care. Why was he at some tavern in the city?”

Rowan was taken aback. “Impossible. I heard him move in the room, My Lord. Just as recently as half an hour ago when I passed by.”

“Clearly you heard wrong. If I hadn’t arrived in time, the hellhounds…”

“‘Hellhounds?’ They’ve never made it into Myrkrheim before since the curse started.”

 “Well, now they have. I’ve patched the hedge.”

He had a feeling that more chaos would unfold with time, whether it was a hunch or a sixth sense. Something was coming. 

“To do that and fight hellhounds for days then… How is your soul core, My Lord?”

Taerynn stayed quiet, not wanting to talk about the poor condition of it. That was why he wanted this stubborn prince to sleep. It would take a little longer to recoup even a smidge of that mana he had used heavily recently.

And that meant not being able to heal Snow White immediately. Other measures had to be taken.

They reached the door leading to his bath—a long, rectangular pool built into the floor with steps leading into it. When he went inside, the area gleamed to life. The torches on the wall flickered brightly, illuminating the white-marbled floor and walls.

The bath was halfway full with steaming water. A female humanoid creature stood to the side. Her webbed feet were in a wooden bucket to always remain wet. Limmer was responsible for the baths within Myrkr Castle.

The glamour she had placed to cover her rotting appearance showed glistening purple-blue fish scales on her skin instead, presumably her original state. The nixie seamlessly waved her arms majestically like a dance to transport water through the air to fill the bath. From what Taerynn recalled, she killed and ate several innocent nixie individuals, committing cannibalism. 

A small fairy the size of his hand flew around, heating the water with conjured flames. Quiner specialized in fire. She caused significant damage in Midgard by starting wildfires. They claimed thousands of human lives over time before being finally captured and killed. The scars of what they did to her were still on her tiny limbs.

Fae who could control an elemental property were rare, so even though those two did terrible deeds that landed their souls here, Taerynn didn’t hesitate to bring them into the castle. In a place where it was freezing cold in winter, fire was a necessity, and vice versa in the scorching summer when they needed water.

They paused their work when they saw them. The wiggling tube of water fell and splashed everywhere. They likely thought they were in trouble and began trembling. Being erased was all the malevolent faes’ worst fears.

It is their lucky day. I am not here to punish them.

“M-My Lord…,” Limmer stuttered. Her voice was small. “I’m sorry for not finishing your bath in time.”

“That is not why I’m here. I need your assistance.”

It surprised her, as well as Quiner and Rowan. They looked at each other and then at the pathetic being in his grip. He was groaning and his face twisted in pain. Snow White’s wheezing breath was getting more ragged by the second.

And that really bothered Taerynn for some reason. Perhaps it was because, since the elf found Snow White, he belonged to him. And rightfully so, with the Gray mana stuck in his soul. So, seeing his discovered mortal from the cave having a difficult time… he just hated it.

“His ribs were crushed and there’s obviously internal damage.”

Limmer narrowed her eyes and knew what he was asking her to do. One usage for water elemental magic was to ease bodily pain… as well as do some major damage, enough to kill from within. But when done with the intent to heal and manipulate water within the body for good, it did wonders to alleviate internal agony momentarily.

This should be enough time to garner mana from his surroundings and replenish his soul core. After that, he’d take care of the rest.

But with Limmer and her cruel nature, Taerynn had to be careful. She could quickly turn on them, just like any fae here. Everyone hated him—the “cruel dark elf king with white hair,” or so they whispered between themselves. He knew everything that they said about him.

“In return, I’ll remove Elwas from death row to be erased.”

“My Lord!” Rowan gasped. “That fae did an unspeakable thing.”

“Yes, I am quite aware.”

Elwas, also a nixie, was Limmer’s partner. A bond formed between them after meeting here. Unfortunately, he was found to have illegally entered the basement without permission and forever erased another servant’s soul for fun and games. That was two weeks ago. Taerynn sort of… forgot to carry out the sentence due to preparing for October 31st. Going to Midgard for that one day of the year on All Hallow’s Eve was so important—to find the shards. 

Limmer agreed to the conditions without hesitation. “I need to be closer to him, My Lord.”

Since she couldn’t walk to him on dry land, Taerynn went to her. Limmer’s eyes widened. She had never been so close to him. Nixies were the same size as humans, so his tall height towered over her. 

“Hmm.” Limmer tilted her head while studying Snow White. Her webbed, human-like hand reached out, moved the black coat aside, and hovered over his chest. “This will hurt.”

Snow White abruptly opened his eyes and took in a loud, gasping breath. He tried swatting her away but Taerynn kept a firm hold on him to stop his thrashing. As he convulsed, the veins in his neck were prominent from tensing so badly.

“H-help…,” he groaned, barely able to talk. His teary eyes looked up at Taerynn. “Can’t…”

“Then you should’ve let me put you to sleep like I suggested. Should I?”

And his blue eyes continued to be stubborn, telling him “no.”

“If you insist.”

In reality, Taerynn wished he had begged for mercy and gone into slumber. Because the next step after leaving here would be worse.

Limmer’s hand moved from sternum to above his belly button. Since water was in blood and elsewhere in the body, she could manipulate the liquid to her will. And at this moment, she was having the water slowly move damaged muscle, bones, and tissue back into place. That was why it could easily be fatal—just clenching her hand into a fist would crush all his organs into a mushy ball.

Through his shirt, Taerynn saw the slight shift of his ribs. Yes, it must’ve hurt like hell. Snow White’s tears wetted his cheeks. He still attempted to move away from the torture, though the struggle was weaker now. Another small trickle of blood fell from his red lips. The amount was not as much as before. That was a good sign.

After Limmer was finally finished, her fingers stretched and extended. The final touch was bending the water to make it like supporting glue. The prince sighed in massive relief. He closed his eyes again, but remained awake. Just barely.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

His heartbeat is slowing down. Good.

“As you know, I cannot heal the actual damage. That requires mana. The water will stay in place like a mold for half an hour. After that…”

“I understand.” Taerynn told Rowan, “Free that prisoner from the dungeon by the end of the day. Warn him there will be no mercy next time.”

Rowan didn’t show any emotion, but his slight frown meant he wasn’t happy with the decision. “Yes, My Lord. It will be done.”

Half an hour, the elf thought as he went down the hallway to the other side of his chambers—the bedroom. He kicked the doors open. The dilapidated space shifted at his presence, changing from terrifying darkness into dark royal blues and gold accents. It was the only area in the castle with no iron, as the previous king designed it that way. Unlike Taerynn, where iron didn’t burn him, the metal affected the prior ruler. Hence, there is a lack of it here.

Before the head servant could join them, he declared sternly, “I’ll be doing this alone.”

“‘Alone’? But My Lo—” He gulped when seeing King Taerynn’s lethal glare to shut up, an expression he didn’t gear towards Rowan often, if ever. The last time the servant was reprimanded was… perhaps when he accidentally lost his nasty temper after Taerynn took over the throne—before the curse, of course. The fae souls still remember that event to this day, when the rivers turned red with blood.

“You’ve done enough,” Taerynn told him. “Go.”

For not noticing the human carrying a shard waltzing right out of the fucking castle.

Rowan glanced away for a second, very much disliking this order. But he couldn’t go against his king’s rule. “Then I will be nearby, My Lord. I only… want what is best for you and your health.”

And he probably said that because the previous Myrkrheim monarchies were all shit. They didn’t know how to take care of these souls and put them in their place, to be rightfully punished for their sinful actions while alive. 

After being banished to Myrkrheim at the tender age of ten by Connak, the light elf king of the Alfheim realm, Taerynn watched and learned from afar. After five whole years of surviving independently, he also became stronger than anyone thought possible.

And Rowan did not want to lose him as their strongest king ever. Even with the curse ceasing most of his potential and power, the servant was loyal, regardless.

So witnessing what Taerynn was doing now—how he saw him carry Snow White preciously, release a sinner who deserved to be erased, demand privacy despite the risks, and the general worry for a mortal—deeply disturbed Rowan. His Lord had never acted like this.

And I don’t know why, either.

Rowan bowed and disappeared around the corner, though he would surely be listening for an emergency.

There were 25 minutes left. He must hurry to focus on replenishing his Gray mana. Once that time was almost over, it would be time… time to heal the fatal wound, find that mirror shard within Snow White, and extract the energy for good.