"You all wait here. Let me first talk with her. I haven't seen her in a very long time, so I don't know how she will react to our request," Nyissa said with a complicated expression, to which Taya and Umilia nodded.
Taya was trying her best to maintain a calm expression, but inwardly she had never felt so nervous since she was standing on an island filled with powerful people. She felt as if she was dipping her foot in places no ordinary mortal ever should.
In fact, it was a surprise that these people let her enter the island, especially since this whole place was supposed to not exist as far as ordinary humans were concerned.
Vanessa proudly stood straight as she said, "If she causes trouble for you, just call me inside. I am sure she will think twice before saying anything I don't like."
Nyissa briefly nodded before raising her hand to knock on the door. But before she could knock, the door magically opened on its own, inviting her to enter.
Nyissa took a deep breath as she entered the pagoda while the door behind her closed by itself.
Nyissa had never entered this pagoda before since someone like her was not welcome here.
However, she couldn't help but admire the beautifully carved drawings on the ceiling and the walls and narrow storage-like rooms which stored some of the sacred scriptures of the clan.
The rest of the hall was empty, with a long pale blue wooden core in the very middle.
She could feel the tranquility in the air inside the hall, making her head feel as clear as water. She had no doubt that meditating in a place like this would bring about exceptional benefits.
One might even be able to explore the profundity of odic force within their body and their environment, increasing the chances of obtaining higher power.
And on the far end, there was a huge light blue curtain covering the width of the entire hall. The curtain was as thin and smooth as silk, albeit slightly transparent enough for Nyissa to see the silhouette of a woman sitting behind the curtain.
"Mother…" Nyissa mumbled with pinched lips as she saw her silhouette. Nyissa couldn't even tell what she was exactly feeling at this moment.
Till she met Viktor, she had been trying to push herself to make sure she was worthy enough to be the daughter of this woman. She punished herself with the hopes that this woman might one day accept her as her daughter and maybe come back to the Fujo Clan to live with her father, who had never been the same since she left.
It was Viktor who made her realize that she didn't have to prove her worth to anyone, especially not to someone who abandoned her for not being good enough.
But now, she was in a situation where she had no choice but to ask for help from the very same woman. If it was not for Viktor, Nyissa would never have compromised her own dignity by coming here.
The fact that something bad might happen to Viktor unsettled her, and that suppressed her hesitation to stand here.
"It has been a very long time, my daughter. Why don't you come forward and take a seat before we talk?" Maura asked as she gestured with her hand.
Nyissa narrowed her eyes upon hearing her mother address her as 'daughter'. She decided to ignore it as she walked forward and sat on the silver chair just a few feet away from the curtain.
The pale blue curtain parted as it revealed a middle-aged woman with graceful beauty and light blue eyes.
One could confidently say that she had aged with grace, and upon taking a second look at her light blue eyes, one could see how tranquil and calm like the seas they were. Nobody can doubt that she could see hidden truths that nobody else could with such clear eyes.
Maura took a very close look at her daughter and subtly smiled, "You have grown even more beautiful than I ever imagined. It seems even the rumors of your beauty don't do you justice."
Nyissa knit her brows together as she said, "Mother, you know I am not here to waste time unnecessarily by talking about things that don't matter. I am here to request your help on something very important to not only me but to even others."
Maura squinted her eyes as she asked, "And I suppose the only way you would come all the way here to see me is because of that man whom you recently got engaged to. What was his name again…Viktor? A half-blood that nobody had ever heard of before but claims to be from the Icemoon Kingdom and the Hellborn Dynasty. How interesting. Anyways, since he did something like that, do you really find it surprising that he disappeared?"
"Talia from the Hellborn Dynasty took him, and I can guess why. But what matters to me is whether he is safe or not. I know you do not approve of my engagement to him, but I am begging you…to please not make things hard for me in this matter," Nyissa felt her nerves burn, begging like this towards this woman. But she knew she couldn't piss off the only one who might know where Viktor was.
Maura softly smiled as she said, "Relax, daughter. You worry too much. I am ready to help you find your fiance. But in return, there is something you or most probably your fiance would have to do."
"I knew it. You can never let me have one good thing in my life, can you?" Nyissa asked with palpable tension in her voice.
"Before you get angry at me, understand that my request is for your benefit only," Maura said as she elegantly took a sip from the tea kept beside her.
Nyissa narrowed her gaze and asked, "Let me first hear it before I believe you."
