"Martina...?"
"...What?"
"Did you leave the doors open?"
"N—Yes. I mean, I did."
"So you did close them." Martina couldn't successfully lie to her mother.
Francesca let out a hollow laugh. Security built and improved through generations, broken through...just like that. If he can do this, then...
"That boy... he can single-handedly destroy the Mikhailovs on a whim, or us for that matter. And we chose Mikhailovs over him..." she muttered, regretting her decision in the truest sense.
Insane Mastery in stealth, assassination, Magic, and ward breaking... just who exactly did she piss off?
Her knees buckled, as she slowly sank to the ground, letting the information sink in as she looked at the two different trophies lying on the table.
A thousand year old Basilisk... Her mind recalled the details about a Basilisk. Aside from all the benefits its body can provide, she also distinctly recalled the fact that a Basilisk is an XXXXX creature. Gigantic size, Anti Magical hide, killing stare, and one of the deadliest venom found on the planet.
'And then there's the other thing....'
Her eyes went to the dark crystal lying on the table as a shudder ran through her body. When people get to her level, they can have access to...certain information that's not available to the rest of the world. This information includes things that are just too beneficial to be released to the public, or.... things that are just too dangerous.
Demogorgon, of course, comes into the later category. There's a certain book called— the world level threats. The book has mysterious origins, and there are very few copies. Demegorgon was one of the threats listed in the book.
'A creature listed in the world level threats!' Francesca was still unable to believe it.
There was no mistake in her analysis. The description written in the book really matched what she had read. So, it really was a dark stone from a Demogorgon, there was no doubt about that.
But, recalling the details, she couldn't believe that it was actually killed by Axel!
Quote, "Born out of darkness, this creature is a calamity that can destroy Kingdom upon Kingdoms until it is satiated. It can neither be stopped nor killed using the available magecraft. If such a creature were to ever befall its presence upon this world again, then may there still be someone with obscure mystical arts to thwart it before it is too late."
"...."
Right now, Francesca just hoped she didn't have such a good memory. Her mind should also stop making connections between slaying of such a creature and Axel's wand being damaged due to an inestimatably powerful spell of light nature.
Because that would mean that Axel only recently killed a world threat level creature while he was supposed to be in Hogwarts...
....
On the other hand, in the Saint Mungo's Hospital VIP ward, Astoria and Evelyn both sat huddled up together at the bedside, looking after the unconscious form of Daphne.
In front of them lied three magi mirrors, through which they had been calling Axel repeatedly, First they had tried through Daphne's MM, but then thinking maybe Axel was deliberately ignoring her, they tried contacting him through their own devices as well, but to no avail.
"Why did he not respond?!" muttered Astoria in frustration.
"I... don't know..."
Evelyn also had no idea. She was also feeling quite helpless at the moment. They had already tried contacting Axel, and in order to contact the Valentinos you first have to fix an appointment, which will take time. So, they had no way of contacting him.
"But... what's the use in that? It's already here." she muttered with a sigh.
"The mind healers are saying it would be best to let her cope naturally," she told her, making Astoria's eyes tear up again.
"It's... It's all m-my fault…" Astoria began to cry again. "If... if only I hadn't told her..."
Evelyn hugged her daughter to her bosom, gently rubbing her back. "It is NOT your fault, Tory. She would have found out anyway. And things might have gotten worse if you weren't there when she found out," she said firmly, accurately stating facts.
For all they know, Daphne might have done worse to herself if they hadn't gotten there in time.
"And, you couldn't have known that her reaction to knowing this would be so... extreme," Evelyn added, feeling quite staggered herself. She knew that her daughter had feelings for Axel, and she had been happy for her. But... to have fallen to this extent... she didn't know it was even possible.
Seeing Astoria still crying, Evelyn patted her head gently. "You shouldn't be sad, you know. The curse has already passed! It could have been a lot worse, couldn't it? Even her life could have been threatened!"
"You wouldn't understand, mom," At her mother's condolences, Astoria only cried harder. As someone who had married into the Greengrass family, Evelyn hadn't ever contracted the curse. "It takes away the most important thing in your life. It means, even death would have been a better choice!"
At this moment of silence, on the other side of Daphne's bed, a person suddenly appeared out of thin air, startling the other two Greengrasses.
"How is she?" Axel demanded, looking at the unconscious form of Daphne. Activating Arcane Eyes, he found several healing wounds on her body, making his expression harden further.
Evelyn looked at Axel for a few moments, then shook her head with a sigh. "You're already too late, Axel. Everything has already happened."
Axel had a bad feeling upon hearing this.
"What... What the hell happened to her?!"
Astoria looked at Axel with some resentment. "Why did you not respond to our calls?! Were you too busy with your fianceé?"
"Astoria?" Evelyn called out, looking scandalized. She didn't know her sweet little Tory could talk like this. "Need I remind you who he is?"
Astoria huffed, turning her face away from Axel with her cheeks puffed. "But Daphi has been thinking about him ever since she came. And now..."
"Now what?" Asked Axel, his bad premonition getting worse.
Evelyn sighed. "Axel... do you know about... the Greengrass Family curse?"
Axel frowned. "The blood malediction? Did Daphne—?"
"No," she Evelyn, cutting him off. "The family curse is not blood malediction. It's a curse designed to strike you when you're at your lowest, and take away what you desire the most. And, yes, unfortunately... Daphne did contract it."
!!! Axel's eyes widened as he looked at Daphne again. This was bad. His hand unconsciously reached out to grip hers. "Then Daphne...?"
"Don't worry, she's not in danger," said Evelyn, making his biggest worry go away.
"Then, what happened? How did she suddenly get infected by the curse?" He demanded. As far as he could recall, Daphne shouldn't have been in danger of contracting the curse, otherwise she would have told him about it.
Evelyn sighed as she explained. "There are very few chance of a family member getting infected by a curse. It only happens when a descendant is at their lowest. In Astoria's case, it happened due to her father, and she lost what she desired the most in her childhood, by manifesting as the blood malediction. We thought that it was the end, but then Daphne..."
But then Daphne also contracted it...
Axel's blood began to boil as he realized the implications. It means that something caused Daphne to feel unbearably bad.
"What happened?" He asked, as his fists clenched.
Evelyn looked at him like he should know the answer. "Daphne found out about your engagement with Martina," she told Axel, as if that would explain the situation.
"???" Axel couldn't understand. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Evelyn studied Axel for a few moments in bafflement. "Holy Morgana... you don't know, do you?"
Axel was getting frustrated now. "Evelyn, are you incapable of answering my questions in a way I can understand?!"
Evelyn sighed. She only now saw the situation from Axel's point of view. He has grown up on his own. How could he have known about things like this?
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore..." said Evelyn with a sigh. "Axel, Daphne was deeply in love with you. So deep that she couldn't bear the thought of you getting engaged to someone else. When she came to know about your engagement, she was devastated to the point of self harm. That's the reason why the curse manifested..."
Axel looked at Evelyn blankly. He knew that it was possible for someone to be extremely hurt when seeing the person they love getting together with someone else. But. Would Daphne love him like that?
He shook his head right away. "That's... that's not possible," he declared.
Evelyn looked at Axel in bafflement. "Why not...?"
Axel shook his head again, unable to accept it. "Evelyn, have you not seen the news about my past? It's all true. And Daphne knows I'm even worse. She... no one can't love me to that extent. There must be some other reason why she manifested the curse."
When even his parents abandoned him, then his classmates, and then his fellow orphans at the orphanage, then why the hell would someone like Daphne want him?
Evelyn took Axel's hand in her own. "Silly boy, when loving someone, the heart doesn't care about these things. For just a few good qualities, it can ignore all the bad ones. And Daphne used to love you with all her heart. There can be no question about that. Otherwise.. her curse wouldn't have manifested in this form..." She said with a bitter smile.
Axel paused, as the ominous feeling he had feeling in the beginning returned in full force. "What... do you mean by that?"
Astoria began crying again. "Sister... no longer knows you anymore..."
"....?!" Confused by her words, Axel looked at Evelyn for an explanation.
"Axel…" Evelyn hesitated, thinking about how to break the news to him. "The curse manifested when she was at her lowest, and took away what she cherished the most..."
"What... what did it take?" asked Axel. He was beginning to understand what had happened, but he was only hoping he was wrong.
"You, Axel. You were the person she cherished the most," she said, making Axel stunned. "So, the curse took away all of her memories about you, locking them away in the unreachable parts of her mind. You are now… a stranger to her," said Evelyn, looking extremely sorry.
"...…What?"
Axel didn't understand what was happening to him, but he wasn't feeling well right now. He was feeling very stifled, as if someone was trying to choke him, and his hands were very fidgety, moving around on their own.
What she cherished the most... it was him?
And those memories...
All the time they had spent together… all the memories they had formed… all gone? Just like that?
"Why... why didn't you stop it?"
"I'm really sorry, Axel. We tried contacting you, in order to stop the process, but you didn't answer. The healer said it would be better to let the situation happen naturally, since interrupting it could have caused damage to her mind."
"And...we also thought it was better this way, since you know, you're already engaged. Now, she's safe, and she also doesn't have to bear the heartbreak..." she said, making Axel feel worse. He wasn't even engaged, damn it!
"Congratulations for that, by the way. We are happy for you," she said with a forced smile, but inwardly, all she felt was sad and regretful. She really had started to picture Axel as her Son-in-law, but what could they do? They couldn't compete with the Valentinos, and Axel couldn't be blamed for choosing that family over the Greengrass.
Still in shock, Axel took the chair on Daphne's bedside, sitting down powerlessly. "I'm not, you know." He said, his expression neutral. He had cut off his emotions altogether at this point. "I'm not engaged to Martina."
???!!! x2
Axel shrugged at their surprised expression. "I was never asked. And if they had bothered asking me, I would have said "no, fuck you". They only used me as a shield to reject the Mikhailov family's proposal."
"Oh Merlin…" Evelyn covered her mouth in surprise, as she realized the ramifications of the statement. If Axel was never engaged, then it means that he had to make enemies with the Mikhailovs for no reason, and then his information got leaked for no reason, and then… Daphne got like this for no reason. "Axel… I'm so…"
"Save it," said Axel, leaning back in his chair, as he used his Occlumency with full force. "This is how it's always been."
What could be done at this point? Who could he blame? The Valentinos were only trying to save their daughter and prevent war. They didn't know it would have such extreme ramifications. The Mikhailovs were only trying to screw the Valentinos, not him, until they were forced to, and got lucky enough to find out about his past. Evelyn was only trying to do the best for her daughter.
In retrospect, everyone was reacting as they were expected.
And yet, the only one getting screwed... was him.
And now, he has probably lost the one person he has always counted on to have his back.
But, he should not be surprised anymore, and he should not be hurt. After all, his life is always finding new ways to screw him over.
But then, why the hell does it hurt so fucking much?
He realized why....
'You are what she cherishes the most, Axel.'
Evelyn's words rang in his head.
Someone who cherishes him the most. Someone who would put him above everything. Someone who would never betray him. And, someone he could trust wholeheartedly.
He actually had such a person too.
And yet, by the time he came to know about it, it was already too late, wasn't it?
Axel looked at Daphne's peacefully sleeping form and felt a surge.
"No way..." He muttered.
There is no way this is happening.
There's no way in HELL he's going to LET this happen.
"The memories..." he said, looking up at Evelyn. "They're only locked up, right?"
Evelyn looked extremely sorrowful. Understanding his intentions, she shook her head sadly. "They're locked up in the unreachable depths of her by the curse itself. The healers said, even if we do reach them somehow, there's no way to recover them until the curse is still present."
"It means they're there."
Axel wasn't deterred by that. He knew better than anyone else that Healers couldn't be trusted with shit. He only knows one thing for sure: The memories are there! And, one way or another he's going to bring them back!
'System, is it possible to get them back?'
[It is possible. But very difficult.]
Axel sighed in relief, ignoring the difficulty part. He took Daphne's hand. Even if it's difficult, for this girl, he'll do it. He only now felt the value or those memories, and he only now felt the value of Daphne.
'She's still here.' That was what he was grateful for. Looking at her, he made a vow to him. That from this moment on, he will cherish every moment, every new memory he has with her.
...
A.N.: He's realizing it now.
Next: Just for the record, I'm single.
Next next: Way of the Water Unlocked
Next.... next: Diabolical Quidditch
Next..... next: Sorry Hufflepuff
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