Chapter 4: Vena Amoris
The transparent palace, wrapped in crimson clouds, looked nothing short of marvelous. The diamond glass panes touched by the sunbeams birthed a rainbow in Elysian. In the palace garden, among the trees surrounding the lake, my father's crown sparkled, its reflection striking the diamond walls. Atop the long tower we used as a dungeon, a miniature Earth spun. Today, disaster sirens must be sounding on Earth, as unsettling noises rose from this miniature. This excessive noise was not good, but I didn't want to dwell on it, at least not now. After years of longing, roaming Elysian seemed more reasonable. I was a few kilometers away from the palace, in a forest. Unlike Earth, Elysian was abundant in trees. Our majestic palace stood in the very center of our realm, amidst the trees, its grandeur unmissable. The palace, surrounded by stone walls, was the most formidable structure here. Some of the people lived in treehouses, while others resided in what would be called neighborhoods on Earth, yet our architecture was vastly different since all dwellings were constructed with materials conjured by magic. I can't believe I lived in shapeless, ordinary apartments for a hundred and fifty years. Really, could I perhaps transmit a sense of aesthetics from Elysian to humans once I ascend the throne? I frowned. As if that was all they were missing...
Feeling my shoes loosen around my grip, I gathered the hem of my green dress that ended below my knees with one hand and looked down at my feet. The laces of my black, lace-up boots had loosened, but I couldn't tie them since I had nowhere to place the bronze candelabrum I held. Shaking my head lightly, I let the hood of my black cloak fall. Çağın had better have a good reason for making me wait this long, or I wouldn't spare his head for keeping me waiting.
Exhaling, I leaned against the tree behind me. Holding the candelabrum at waist height with one hand, I placed the other on my stomach. My stomach had been upset since last night. It felt as though my body was undergoing a change, struggling and trying to rid itself of the pain. Considering the intense pace I've been under since my arrival, my body's reaction seemed quite normal. Finding myself suddenly as Elysian's heir, my heirship being unrecognized, and the shock from last night... I knew the souls of monarchs remained in Elysian until their death ceremonies were performed. However, I would never have guessed my father's soul could enter a body and communicate with me, not until I noticed the guard with brown eyes turn blue.
When I heard the carriage, I postponed thinking about last night to a time when I was alone. The more I dwelled on it, the more likely I was to slip up. I needed to wait for the right moment to use the ace my father gave me.
Finally, Çağın appeared in my field of vision, driving a wooden carriage pulled by two black horses. His collarless khaki shirt had frilly sleeves, and his black pants were cinched with a silver buckle belt. As they stopped in front of me, I handed him the candelabrum.
Taking the candelabrum, he said, "I almost got caught by Eva." Running his fingers through his hair slicked back, he added, "Whew... That was a scary few minutes."
"Why doesn't she just go to her own dump?" I asked with a sarcastic grin. Years ago, she had refused my father's rule and left the palace to establish her own empire. Now, she was preparing to fight her siblings for my father's palace, oh the irony...
"If you ask me..." He slid over to make room for me to sit. As the horses started moving, he continued: "Eva is at least on your side for the time being. You know, it was your father who appointed you as the heir and announced it to the sacred spirits. So, your heirship is essentially a king's decree."
A king's decree couldn't be undone until another monarch was crowned. So, if Eva wanted to be queen, she first had to raise me to the throne and then dethrone me. I chuckled with delight. "I love that snake being tied to me under any condition."
"I'm always on your side, but sometimes I wonder if your father made a wrong decision."
I extinguished the candelabrum, letting the smoke rise and twirl like an oriental dance to the leaves. "Why?" I asked, watching the smoke.
"You know the turmoil that Elysian went through during your father's reign. This turmoil translated into hatred on Earth and sparked a war. Your father was a great king, but we can't ignore that his weaknesses led to a war."
"You can't blame my father for the war, Çağın, it was because of my mother. I know she's your distant relative but..."
"You know I don't care about that," he interrupted. "I never even met her."
"That's not what I meant." I touched his shoulder with a smile. "My father's weakness was my mother, and that made him the apparent creator of a war. That's exactly why we were sent to Earth, Çağın. My father chose someone without weaknesses as his heir," I said, pointing at myself. It wasn't ego; it was a fact. If I was deemed worthy of this role, I had to embrace my responsibilities wholeheartedly. This meant accepting and proving myself as a victor.
"Everyone has a weakness, my heir," he said, looking at me for a few seconds. His eyebrows raised, causing wrinkles on his forehead, and parental warmth moved in his amber gaze. Turning back to the front, he continued: "A weakness doesn't have to be a beautiful man or woman, an expensive jewel, love, or passion. For some, even hatred is a weakness. Not having a weakness on Earth doesn't make you victorious; maybe your weakness wasn't on Earth."
I shook my head in disagreement: "Elysian births emotions, Earth deceives emotions with weaknesses. That's how the universe works, Çağın. Someone without weaknesses on Earth has no weaknesses anywhere."
He remained silent for a while. We listened to the leaves rustling, the dry branches cracking under the wheels, and the horses' hoofbeats. As we walked through the thickening trees, bathed in slivers of sunlight, I waited for him to speak. Finally, he laughed, saying, "Whatever the heir says."
I shook my head disapprovingly while laughing. "Run away then," I said, letting him get away with it this time.
I pulled the candelabrum between us and threw it to the back of the carriage. Leaning my head on Çağın's shoulder, I closed my eyes.
***
When Çağın shifted his shoulder, I wrinkled my face and squinted my eyes open. Lifting my head, I gazed at him with half-closed eyes. After giving me a moment to collect myself, he said, "We've arrived," and I was fixing my hair. Looking around with my drowsy eyes, all I could think was how much this place had changed.
Trees, soil, grass, everything was in shades of purple. The sky rippled in a tone close to lilac, with dark purple stars casting the trees' black shadows onto the ground.
"Enter this cave and find Hesna," he pointed at a cave adorned with stalactites and stalagmites of a purple mineral.
"Is this a mine?" I asked, jumping off the carriage. As I bent to straighten the hem of my dress, he hummed in affirmation. After tightening my boot laces, I stood upright.
I was reaching back for the candelabrum when he stopped me, "You won't need light inside."
Nodding, I stepped back from the carriage and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
"It's better if you talk alone." He shrugged nonchalantly and I moved towards the cave. The stalactites and stalagmites were so close to each other that I had to turn sideways to pass.
The walls, because of the purple minerals, were transparent and shiny. I raised my hand and let my fingers glide over the cave's smooth wall, smiling at the pleasant sensation. As I went deeper into the cave, I saw unknown shiny minerals at the base of the walls. Their light hit the transparent walls, breaking and sending colorful lights across the space, making me laugh. Living at the source of these bright jewels must have been the right decision for Hesna.
As I progressed, the path narrowed, and soon I had to duck to continue. The bright walls and my reflection started to make me dizzy. When the path shrank enough to require me to walk on my knees, I hissed, "This is too much!" Realizing my protest was premature when I had to crawl.
Crawling deeper underground, I muttered to myself, "What was your problem, Hesna?" She probably wasn't satisfied with the jewels at the entrance and wanted to reach the source. "You're nice and all, sis, but insatiable," I chuckled while grumbling.
We ranked from oldest to youngest as Bilun, Hesna, Eva, me, and Felin. Since Eva stole immortality, becoming the only immortal being in the universe, this order might be upset. As the royal family, we were supposed to live for at least five hundred years.
I yelled at the minerals poking my hand, "Hesna will probably take you with her when she dies. Someone tell her that Azrael only takes the soul after death."
Licking my dry lips, I realized how thirsty I was. If getting to Hesna was this hard, I wondered if the Holy Spirits would examine me on my way to Eva.
When a beam of light finally appeared in my field of vision, I knew I was nearing the end of the tunnel. I crawled faster. Exiting the tunnel, I didn't look around before pushing my legs forward to sit. I brushed the dust off my knees and lifted my head. Contrary to my expectations, this place was just an ordinary cave.
If I hadn't seen Hesna standing with her back to me in front of a stone throne, I might have thought I'd come to the wrong place. Her purple, wavy hair reached just above her hips. Her dress, made of the same color tulle, had drooping shoulders and its hem swept the ground.
She turned around suddenly with a vibrant laugh, "Welcome, loveless heir!" Even though her reaction startled me, I laughed. Since my arrival, Hesna had to be the only person delighted by my presence.
"I was waiting for you," she said as she sat on her stone throne. She had changed. Her face was brighter than usual, and her skin was whiter. Diamonds were embroidered on her cheeks as if lace had been woven onto a fabric. The diamonds had fused into her skin, becoming a part of her face. Her slanted, purple eyes were adorned with thick, lustrous lashes. Her thin, purple eyebrows arched beautifully. She wore a solitaire ring and a delicate necklace. She looked beautiful, but it was too extravagant for my taste.
"So, you know why I'm here?" I asked, and she smiled, showing her teeth. The woman was radiating joy, and I couldn't help but smile along with her.
Raising her eyebrows, she said, "Of course, I do. I'd like to tell you a story. Are you comfortable there?" She asked this as I laughed, sitting at the entrance, on the ground.
"Not too bad."
"I'm sorry..." she sounded genuinely apologetic, continuing in a flirtatious manner, "I'm tidying up here, if I had sensed your arrival sooner, I would have hurried." Her speech was musical, as if her words flowed in a melody within us. The moment I saw her, I started smiling, and when she began to speak, I felt as if I was lifted off the ground and the sky whispered love to me. This cave, deep beneath the earth, suddenly transformed into a garden of flowers, its air filled with the scent of love.
As I watched her enchanting demeanor in awe, she cleared her throat lightly and began, "Humans have deemed diamonds as the symbol of fidelity because they're resistant to fire and steel." Twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, she giggled. Her laugh, along with the sparkle in her lashes, transferred to her cheekbones. Standing up, I did too, and walked to the center of the cave.
"However," she continued. "I commanded humans to encase the diamond in a ring and wear it on the left ring finger." She squinted proudly, smiling. "And in the left ring finger, I placed the 'Vena Amoris' directly connected to the heart."
*VENA AMORIS: The vein of love.
She giggled again, and from among the flowers, hundreds of butterflies emerged. They surrounded us and stayed put, flapping their wings. The butterflies, stirred into motion by Hesna's twirling index finger, began circling around us, causing our hair to flutter; myriad flowers donated their fragrance to the wind.
"Thus, I equated love and loyalty." She approached me, closing the gap between us. Placing her hand on my cheek, I felt passion trickle down my throat, the shimmer of desire visible in my eyes reflected in hers. As she wrapped her other hand around my neck, underneath my hair, my entire body started to shiver.
Before smiling with all her teeth, she elevated her magical voice and declared, "Now, I grant you the power of love and loyalty, loveless heir, as long as you wield this power rightfully, I am at your service."
Her slender fingers covered my face, lowering my eyelids. A few seconds later, the contact with my body ceased, and I collapsed to the ground.
It felt like I had passed through a transparent door, my skin tingling as I wrinkled my face, opening my eyes.
I was sitting right next to the carriage
. "Hey!" I shouted, standing up to find myself face-to-face with Çağın. "If going and coming back was that easy, why did I crawl in there!"
He laughed heartily at my frustration. "Did you crawl inside?" He continued laughing even as I stared at him seriously. Calming his laughter, he said, "You still haven't remembered everything about this place, have you?" Straightening his back, he cleared his throat, mockingly started, "My heir... Kings and their families can perform magic."
I rolled my eyes. Having lived on Earth for so long, it seems I had forgotten to use my powers. "I just felt like crawling," I defended myself, walking past him and climbing into the carriage.
He sat next to me, chuckling, "I knew you were jealous of Eva."
"I'm not jealous of her, I just don't like her," I retorted as he nodded knowingly, and the horses started moving.
"I'm just joking," he clarified. Then, curiously, he added, "Did Hesna accept your heirship?"
I nodded affirmatively. We had anticipated this outcome. Hesna was an easy catch, and Eva was, for now, in my palms. Bilun was still a mystery to me.
"You know, I love you, but Hesna is the best among you," he said admiringly. My dear sister had an aura that influenced all creatures. She could bring out the love and happiness in even the most unpleasant person's heart. Her embodiment of loyalty also instilled trust in her counterpart.
"She seemed a bit flighty to me," I said, laughing and shrugging my shoulders. He laughed along.
"What do you plan to do with Hesna?" The question brought a serious atmosphere.
"I'll ask her to bless the people with love. I think this will make them more amiable towards me."
"You're thinking correctly," he affirmed. "But you shouldn't overdo it. It could be dangerous."
"How so?"
"Love doesn't just have a binding power. Your father loved your mother, but you know what happened. Just because it's a positive emotion doesn't mean it can't lead to disaster."
"You're right, I know these things. Don't worry, I can manage the control."
"I'm not worried..." I could tell he was smiling by his tone. "I trust you. You'll overcome this."
"I will," I said, confident in myself. I wanted to succeed, and I could feel the immense excitement growing within me as I walked the path of success. This unacknowledged heir would soon be the ruler of Elysian.
I wanted to discuss my plans about Hesna with him in more detail, but an idea suddenly made me narrow my eyes. "Now, I can teleport to the palace, right?"
He stopped the horses abruptly and turned his body towards me, a look of discontent on his face. "I can't go," he stated.
A smug smile formed on my lips. "But I can."
"Don't do it, I'll be scared alone," he said, to which I burst out laughing. I knew he wouldn't be scared; he just hated traveling alone.
"Consider it payback for leaving me with Eva at the curtain." Seconds later, I snapped my fingers out of formality and uttered the magic words: "Paraiso kolasi." The last thing I saw before finding myself in my room was Çağın's scrunched-up face.
I continued laughing at Çağın as I took off my cloak and laid it on the bed. After undressing and stepping into the bathtub, I waited until my tensed body relaxed in the warm water.
Looking at my fingers, I pondered what I could do with the power Hesna had given me. Love was both the weakest and the strongest. If I knew how to wield it, binding the people to me would be relatively easy.
After thoroughly cleaning myself, I got out of the tub. I put on a sleeveless, long green dress and tied my hair up. Walking out of the room with my bare feet on the cold floor, I asked one of the saluting guards, "Has Çağın arrived?"
"No, my heir, but we have guests who wish to dine with you tonight," he replied, causing me to furrow my brows. I hadn't expected them to hear about Hesna's acceptance so quickly.
After smiling at the guard in a thanking gesture, I headed towards the dining room. The guards at the dining room's entrance saluted me and opened the door. As I entered and looked at the arriving guests, for the first time since coming to Elysian, I smiled genuinely.
Bowing with his right arm in front of his stomach, he said, "My heir."
I grabbed the hem of my dress and curtsied in response, "Alven."
We both straightened up and looked at each other, then burst into laughter and hugged. "You're late!" I complained, and he explained, "I was on duty."
He furrowed his brows, scanning the room before looking back at me. "Did Çağın leave you alone?"
I giggled, stepping back from him. When I gestured to a chair, he sat opposite me. The woman I hadn't met yet also took her place next to Alven.
"Çağın might not join us tonight," I said, clearly amused.
Alven was one of our chief guards. Since his family were also guards, he grew up in the palace. I presumed the woman sitting next to him had a special role in Elysian, belonging to one of the noble families, though I didn't know her.
Noticing my glance, Alven smiled and introduced her, "Şafak. Bilun's close friend."
I greeted her with a smile, and she responded in kind. Despite being disappointed that my visitors had nothing to do with Hesna, Şafak's words made me burst into delighted laughter: "Bilun was a bit upset that you didn't visit her before Hesna."
"Why would I visit her first?" I asked in a mild tone.
"She's the eldest, Bilun."
"Ah yes, I forgot my sister's obsession with age. Understandably, having suddenly learned about my heirship piled a lot of responsibilities on me. It slipped my mind."
She was angry. To hold herself back, she laughed falsely, "The heirship you stole from her..." Alven cleared his throat, interrupting her. Looking over her shoulder at the man sitting beside her, Alven's sun-yellow eyebrows were furrowed, and his long hair had fallen onto his forehead. A warning was evident in his green eyes.
Şafak ignored him, "We all knew the heirship rightfully belonged to Bilun. The eldest child always becomes the heir."
"If it was rightfully hers, she would be here," I countered. She tucked her shoulder-length pink hair behind her ear, revealing for the first time a blue owl tattoo on her right cheek. She probably lost control over hiding the tattoo due to her anger. This tattoo clarified she was more than just a friend to Bilun.
I knew Bilun's symbol was an owl.
Noticing my gaze on her cheek, she shuffled in her chair, attempting to hide the mark again. Her ability to perform magic confirmed my theory about
her coming from an important family. In Elysian, besides the royal family, only the youngest members of ten noble families could perform magic. Humans would probably consider us magicians if they knew about our race, but we weren't. Only Elysian's spirit had blessed us differently from its people.
Taking advantage of Şafak's momentary panic, Alven changed the subject, "Actually, we came to invite you to announce our engagement."
As he held Şafak's hand and placed it on the table, he was smiling. Seeing his smile, Şafak also smiled softly, looking down. The love between them was evident, which didn't exactly make me happy. I liked Alven; given his life wasn't as long as mine, I practically watched him grow up. I never imagined him with someone like Şafak. Actually, he and Melek would make a great couple, if Melek wasn't human.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Melek and Vera were people I got along with well. Suddenly being separated from them felt strange. To hide my emotional moment, I silently swallowed and then smiled, showing my teeth, "I would like to organize this ceremony."
Alven looked at Şafak and smiled, "I think it could be good, what do you say?"
Şafak didn't respond to Alven but stared directly at me, pressing her pink lips together, her similarly colored eyes hiding their whirlwind of emotions behind a veil. "Do we have a choice?" she asked, and I laughed.
"Of course, you can refuse, Şafak. I'm not beheading anyone. No ruler has ever taken this path before; this isn't Earth." My emphasis on the last sentence made her smile. She got the hint. Given her bold attitude, I assumed she had a power connected to Earth, something that couldn't be explained otherwise. Here, Earth wasn't loved, but those with a power related to Earth were admired. For example, only Çağın's family could travel to and from Earth, and only Çağın was left of that family. Because of this power, the people always admired him. Şafak and her family must possess a different connection to Earth, a power that would be useful to Bilun...
"I didn't get the chance to meet Felin, but you four sisters are indeed clever," she remarked, confirming my theory about her power.
As servants entered and began serving the meal, I left Şafak unanswered until they had left. When Alven and I exchanged glances, I could tell he was sweating bullets. To ease his discomfort, I smiled and winked, signaling that everything was fine.
"Even if you didn't want me to organize it..." I began, picking up my fork. "I would like to bless you with love and introduce you to Hesna." I dipped the meat I had skewered with my fork into the cranberry sauce and looked into Şafak's eyes as I brought it to my mouth.
Şafak laughed mockingly, "Using us for a public show is despicable, but I'd like to be blessed with love."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," I confessed, laughing.
Although Alven was used to my boldness, he seemed quite tense right now. If he was nervous because he was caught between his friend and his lover, I wouldn't mind, but if it was because he was caught between his lover and the heir, I would be saddened.
Maybe I should tolerate Şafak for a few hours for Alven's sake.
"What do you think, Alven?" I asked, using all my sincerity.
"I would be honored, provided Şafak agrees." I smiled. He was always polite, even as a child.
"So would I," said Şafak. "I would be honored." She probably thought the same as me, deciding to relent for Alven's sake. Noticing this, Alven let out a sigh of relief. We all felt his tension dissipate.
Alven asked, "How are things on Earth?"
"Full of human Evas."
After swallowing his bite, he asked curiously, "Could you elaborate on how bad it is?"
Nodding, I explained:
"The streets are full of children, but not their play screams; their cries for help are silenced. The streets are full of the elderly, but not their life experiences; they struggle to live. The streets accommodate the blind when a woman dies, the deaf after an explosion; they carry the speaking mute. If I say, 'Help me,' people ask, 'Who will help me?' And the worst part is, they're right to ask."
We fell silent for a while. What difference would it make if I described hell to them? Ah, we couldn't expect much different from a planet inhabited by those expelled from paradise.
Breaking our silence with her feeble voice, Şafak said, "Elysian isn't much different." Her dissatisfaction with the current state was clear. I knew Bilun thought the same, our goals weren't far apart. I believed our alliance could strengthen us. That is, if we had one…
The prevailing emotion in Elysian was transmitted to Earth. If the monarch made the people happy, there would be peace on Earth; if the people were angry, Earth would wage war. "I will do everything I can to change this." I spoke with a confidence-giving tone, and Alven smiled. "I have no doubt," he replied. Şafak chose to remain silent.
"Feeling your support is nice—" I was saying when the door was abruptly knocked and swung open. I looked at the intruder with concern. His bronze armor indicated he was a third-tier guard. No third-tier guard could enter the heir's presence this way. Alven was about to intervene before me, given this disrespect, but the guard bowed, saying, "My heir," and then added, "There's an urgent matter that requires your attention."
"If you entered the room like that, it must indeed be urgent," I muttered. After wiping my mouth with the napkin on the edge of my plate, I stood up. Alven and Şafak also prepared to follow.
Raising my hand, I insisted, "Please, continue." When Şafak looked at Alven, I urged them, "Don't worry." They both sat down again.
"If you need me, just call," Alven said, and I smiled before leaving the dining room with the guard. As we walked through the corridor and got sufficiently away from the room, I turned to the guard following me. "What's the problem?"
"My heir..." he began with a hesitant voice. "The late king's lifeless body..." I could guess what was coming… Still, I didn't interrupt him, waiting to hear it from him.
Avoiding my gaze, he continued: "The late king's body… has disappeared."
