Surprise Child's

Chapter 25 Purification

Albert improved in a short time, but he looked anxious and perplexed occasionally daydreaming. When asked he always answered that there was nothing with a smile that felt forced.

Seeing Damien's situation, the two surprise children talk seriously about what they are going to do.

"My wish is to go south, since you are my surprise child then you should obey my orders. But given the difficult situation I think wherever we go the Elves will definitely look for you" Damien said.

"I want to take back my palace" Albert said softly.

"You can't be King in your grandfather's stead" Damien said coldly.

"Why?" ask Albert loudly.

"Because you're a surprise kid! you no longer have any ties to the Meseress Kingdom, because whatever happens to that palace is out of your charge."

"No! I will still reclaim my palace!" albert strongly objected.

"Albert be calm.I also want to avenge the Elves but we can not do it alone," said Sophia calming.

Albert closed his mouth, staring at the girl whose status was questioned. For some reason Ursula's words imprint him, making him doubt the real Sophia.

"There's no other way" Damien said suddenly.

"We must kill the Rider before the ritual is performed" he continued.

No one said, they dissolve in each other's minds. Likewise with Damien who actually did not want to be involved in the dispute anymore, but he had no choice.

Can't keep his own strings Albert chose to know Damien secretly.

"There's something I want to talk to you about" he said.

"Say!" damien Sahut.

With a slight hesitation Albert said what Ursula told him, he actually did not fully believe in Ursula but somehow he also could not dismiss the remark just like that.

All this time he had lived in the Academy and never knew what was really going on, not even his father prince Thodor had ever once mentioned Sophia which was likely the reason why he was hesitant.

"What...there's a way we can find out who Sophia really is?" ask Albert.

"I don't doubt it, but.. shouldn't we be sure?" smith again.

Damien pondered loudly, if one of the royal family members or palace servants were still alive, of course he could ask and start investigating this matter.

"Ah I almost forgot, a man named Jonah left a message for you."

"What's? what's he saying?" damien asked as soon as he heard the name of his old friend.

"He just said I was your surprise son and said you'd save me,"

"Where's the dao now?" ask again.

"It's gone" said Albert with a gloomy face.

There were no tears streaming down the vampire's cheeks, but Albert could clearly see the deep sadness in his eyes.

He offered his condolences and gave Damien time to himself, while Yarren, who was secretly listening to the conversation, invited Albert to go to their usual place to spend time.

"When I heard from Sophia without a second thought I left immediately with the intention to save you, Sophia went with me and on the way we had a lot of conversation. He is a fun person" Yarren said.

"By the way the soldiers of King Salim took us to his palace, apparently he and other Kings had plans to bring down the Elves and they worked together. Sophia who participated in the plan was willing to become a scapegoat in order to give time to the troops to attack," he continued.

His eyes that were originally staring at the vast sky turned to Albert who frowned at him.

"Sometimes brothers are not only because of blood ties, but also because of inner bonds. Don't you feel like you have an inner bond?" tanyakanya.

"You eavesdropped," accuse Albert.

"I didn't hear it on purpose but it doesn't matter."

"Are you telling me to accept Sophia even though she is the Rider? people born of a nation that has destroyed my family?" asked Albert with displeasure.

"He wasn't involved in that war, even he took your place as the surprise child at first."

"That's because he has to pay for what he has done!" albert was full of emotion.

Yarren was speechless, this was the first time Albert had spoken in such a loud tone to her. Even looking at him with hateful eyes, it made one scratch on Yarren's heart that made her tears flow.

Realizing that he had made a mistake Albert began to soften, he lowered his gaze regretfully and was ready to apologize but Yarren spoke first.

"Even Sophia isn't necessarily the Rider and you already hate her."

If time can be repeated Albert wanted to improve the way he spoke earlier, he was too influenced by Ursula's speech to lose confidence.

......................

The only name that always crossed his mind when he found a dead end was Alessa, as the witch should have known many things including about the Rider.

Deciding to ask Damien for help sends a message that Alessa replies to the next day, he tells Damien to take Sophia to a witch to perform purification.

Without delaying any more time Damien immediately invited Sophia to prepare to leave, Albert, who knew it, chose to take part in the journey because he also did not want to part with Damien after tired of looking for the vampire everywhere.

"Can't you stay?" asked Yarren who was not ready to part with his lover again.

"You're my destiny with Damien" he said.

"Then I come with you, I've already stripped my daughter's title."

"No Yarren, please. I've lost many of my closest people and I don't want you to be even scuffed in the slightest. I'll come again so wait for me" she asked.

If Albert had begged then he could not refuse, anyway this was the right time to let him brothers know each other better.

In order to break Albert's ugly perception of Sophia he ended up nodding without sulking, driving the three of them to the mouth of the cave and lost in sight.

"I like her" Sophia said softly with a sweet smile on her face.

"Who was born among us first but I decided he would be my sister-in-law" he continued.

It was an unexpected statement, but it could make spring break in Albert's heart.

In the journey that took some time somehow the three of them lived like family, asking each other questions and answering each other even jokingly.

Slowly making Albert more like an older brother who guarded Sophia from anything, until finally they arrived at the residence of the witch.

Surprisingly enough, the residence is a dilapidated house on a tree, filled with moss that makes it difficult for them to climb because of the slippery hanging stairs.

When they got up there was nothing they could find except a messy room with only chairs and tables, into the welcome Spider's nest.

"There's nothing here" said Sophia, who everyone knows.

"Maybe he's moved" Albert said.

"No, this is not his house but the road to his house" Albert said, checking the floor was filled with sulfur powder.

Checking further he found more powder on the wall, managed to solve the puzzle he asked Sophia to make a shield for the three of them.

Although she did not understand what Sophia was doing, after Damien's entire body was covered in a shield he walked towards the wall and unexpectedly Damien was able to penetrate through the wall.

One by one they entered through the wall and appeared on a path filled with snow, staring around Damien knowing they were in an artificial dimension.

"You can remove the shields" he said after weighing them safely enough.

The first step that Damien started made was a deep enough trace, while watching around him trying to guess where the magic mistress was.

While Albert and Sophia dissolved in the excitement that the snow created, taking a handful of Sophia pressed it round and threw it at Albert.

Buccancy

"Aw!" erang Albert together with a fairly loud tipping sound.

Sophia let out a crisp laugh, retreating slowly as Albert began to pick up a handful of snow and retorted. The snow war ensued, they laughed without a truce until Damien told them to stop.

Returning to continue the journey of temperature that felt increasingly decreased to make ice flowers in the lashes of Albert and Sophia, their breathing out white smoke with reddened nostrils.

"You guys good?" ask Damien.

"Y-yeah," said Sophia with churning teeth.

They are obviously cold.

"Pulse... Albert, b-can I hold your hand?" ask Sophia who can't stand it.

"Sure," said Albert because he also needed to warm himself.

Seeing her makes Damien's frozen heart heat up, if his blood were to flow with heat he would be able to give Sophia warmth.

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Suddenly out of nowhere a crow flew around them and slowly transformed into a middle-aged woman as soon as she stepped on the ground, her clothes all black with shiny blood-red lips.

"Who are you?" ask the woman.

"Master Magic... Alessa told us to meet you," Damien replied immediately recognizing who the woman was.

"Oh my arrogant disciple! if she tells you to meet me, it means that her abilities are blunt" said the woman strangely in a voice that bubbled like lightning.

Damien did not comment, Alessa's ability is not blunt but this is beyond her ability.

"I hope you will help us" she asked in compassion.

"What do you want?" tanyakanya.

"Purity," Damien said.

The magician muttered something that they could not hear or read from the motion of his lips, making Damien quite disturbed by curiosity.

"Follow me!" his orders.

They walked back until they arrived at a magnificent castle with snow-colored, the door leaves are also white almost makes them do not know where it is located if there is no carving there.

Once in the warm air immediately melt the ice flowers in their lashes, giving a sense of comfort.

The Magic Master continued to lead in front and led them into a spacious room, in the middle of the room seems empty as if it was deliberately made so while in all corners full of bookshelves and other things.

Taking one chalk Magic Lady immediately drew a large pentacle on the floor, after finishing she placed one jar filled with water at each corner.

"Who will do it?" tanyakanya.

"She," Damien replied as he looked at Sophia.

Of course Sophia replied with a puzzled look because they had never talked about this before, as she remembered just asking her to go to see the Magical Master without saying her purpose.

"Stand here!" the Magical Master orders while pulling Sophia into the pentacle.

"You ready?" tanyakanya.

"Wait!" sergeant Sophia is hesitating.

"For what is this purification done?" he asked Damien more.

"To find out what's inside of you" said the Magician.

"meaning?" sophia did not understand.

"Every living thing has two things within them, the good side and the bad side. The purpose of this purification is to purify which side will dominate" he explained.

Sophia fell silent, that brief explanation had already made her aware of one thing.

"Did Ursula say something to you?" ask her with a gloomy face.

When Damien and Albert were surprised, they realized where Sophia's question was going.

"He's been talking to you?" damien asked back.

"When he tried to save Albert he said I shouldn't feel sorry for the enemy, he said I should have been on his side because I was his daughter. I'm the Rider" Sophia replied which made them even more surprised especially the Magic Lady.

"What's? you're a rider?" ask the Magic Master in a high tone.

"I don't know, Ursula said that and I can't just believe it because I remember my childhood in the palace. But Ursula said I was kidnapped by Prince Thodor as a baby to replace Albert as a surprise child" she said.

"Then we have to quickly find out," said the Magic Master again preparing.

"Wait!" sergeant Sophia again.

The Magic Master went back silent to listen.

"W-what if I'm the Rider?" tanyanya doubt.

"Then I have to kill you," replied the Magician without mercy.

"The Rider is the true leader of the Elves who will bring glory only to the Elves, he is filled with a feeling of ambition, bloodthirsty and never satisfied. Besides the Elves he will only destroy all beings even those who are not sinful," he explained.

Of course it made Sophia horrified.

"But if I were the Rider I wouldn't do such a cruel thing" he argued.

"Unfortunately you cannot resist, the Rider has half the soul of a dragon which means he has only half consciousness. Even if you're trying to rebel but you can't suppress your savage instincts, then we'd better find out if you're the Rider or not."

With great difficulty Sophia swallowed her saliva, it felt like she wanted to run but her legs felt heavy to lift. Staring at Damien he asked for help without a word, hoping that even though he was the Rider Damien would still love him.

The purification ritual was ready to be carried out, Magician began to cast a spell that made the water inside the jar float into the air.

Gathered into one above Sophia's head, a few seconds later Sophia suddenly felt a very agonizing headache. He fell to the floor still holding his head, hitting it hard hoping the pain was gone.

But the longer the pain gets bigger until the feeling of not being able to bear makes Sophia drain tears, the fur does not fall to the floor actually goes up.

Gathering with the water from the jars that are getting more and more widened, seeing Sophia so suffered either Damien or Albert actually did not have the heart.

But they have to do it.