Sins of Love, Renesme Silverstein - Part 4.

The situation escalated in the blink of an eye. The solemnness in the Hall suffocated everyone. Gladrielle was glaring at the Young Lord of the Wise-Blood Order. A twenty-one-year-old lad was standing up against him, and he had not even spared a glance at him as if he was insignificant in his eyes. 

Gladrielle wanted to end the life of this bold youngster, but the rising aura of Julius and the threatening gaze of Stephen made him tensed. Stephen was not stronger than him, but he was the Supreme-Zero of the Order. Gladrielle was not foolish enough to break the rules of the Order on his impulse. And Shazan was not just another Lord. He was the next Supreme Zero. The Elders on the council had already approved it, and he had already proven his capabilities and powers to them. He now regretted approving Shazan as the next Supreme Zero, but what was done was done now, and he had to bear the burn of the moment. 

Shazan didn’t bother with anything in the Hall. He had already made his intentions clear. He was not an impulsive man. He knew that people in the Hall wouldn’t haggle over this matter with him. As the successor of the Supreme Zero, he had certain privileges over others. He couldn’t order the Elders yet, but they were not in a position to deny him anything. 

“I do not wish to see any friction between the Order.” He said lightly and ran his gaze over the solemn faces of the people in the Hall. “Renesme is mine, and if anyone tries to hold any intentions towards her, you will have to face me first.”

He said his words and stood up from his seat. 

“Feel free to use your right of the Death Trial. I will name my champion if it comes down to it.” 

His words made some people suck in a cold breath. Every Lord and every Elder of the Order had the right of the Death Trial. The person who challenges would have to fight against the person his adversary nominates as his champion. The battle would last till the death of either the challenger or that of the champion. Some people chose to fight by themselves and not nominate a champion, but Shazan was not strong enough to fight Gladrielle by himself. And his words implied his intentions. He would name a Champion if it came down to a Death Trial. 

The words of Shazan were like a whisper of Devil in Gladrielle’s mind. He had not considered the option of the Death Trial, but now he was considering it. He was confident in his strength, and he knew that on the council of the Elders, only Julius and Warick could match him in strength. They were the only people who he feared fighting against in a one on one, but would they comply to become the Champion of Shazan? Julius may have raised his Aura to deter him, but he knew that the old Julius wasn’t someone who would jump in a fight that could threaten his life. Warick, on the other hand, was not on the team of Shazan. He was one of the few Elders who had not approved of him becoming the next Supreme Zero. For Warick, Shazan was not mentally stable yet, he was not ready to bear the responsibilities of the Supreme Zero, and the young lad seemed to have no care for the Order. Warick was unlikely to help him out in this situation. And that meant that Shazan would nominate someone from his Family Aliances.

His ruthless eyes stared at the leaving back of Shazan, and a sinister smile crept in his mind. 

How could he not know what was palpitating the mind of Gladrielle? Shazan wanted Gladrielle to choose the Death Trial. He wanted him dead for holding intentions towards Renesme. He knew that Gladrielle would create problems for him in the future for what happened today, and so, he wanted to erase the problem before it got complex. He already had his Champion in mind.

He left the Hall in a carefree manner. His mind was occupied with several thoughts, but all the thoughts bore the same name, Renesme. She had not left his mind since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. She was a mystery to him, but his feelings for her were just as mysterious. He was not sure how and why he felt so protective of her. It had not even been a few hours since he had met her, and he was already caring about her enough to bear risks, bigger than himself. He did consider being under her mental influence, but some part of his heart whispered to him that she would never use any tricks on him. And the presence of trust made him feel safe. 

Walking down the main corridor of the Palace, his eyes passed on several paintings that hung on the walls. They were all portraits of the Elders and Lords of the Wise-Blood Palace. The Order was an institute formed thousands of years ago. And its history was rich. Every single person in those portraits exuded an expression of pride, but he felt no compulsion to desire the same pride. He had only joined the Order because he had no other option back then. He was not forced to do it, but he was not willing for it as well. Had the circumstances not been the way they were, he would have never taken on such responsibilities. He disliked the idea of proving himself to people.

It was his pride. 

“What’s on your mind?” 

A sweet voice penetrated his ears, and his feet halted. He was certain that he hadn’t felt anyone come after him. There was no one around him just a second ago, but now there was. He glanced at her, and his heart was at ease. She passed by him and leisurely walked ahead.

“Did you meet Sera?” He smiled and then continued walking.

“I just did. She is a pretty girl.”

“She’s my Fiancee.” He nodded and shook his head lightly. “Stephen requested me to take her as my Official Wife once I take the seat of the Supreme Zero. I couldn’t refuse him.” 

“You don’t like her?” She turned to face him, and her wine eyes looked right in his soul.

“I do.” He answered truthfully. “She’s a beautiful girl. She’s honorable, courteous, smart, wise, and she has an honest heart. She’s my type of girl.” 

“She has feelings for you. It was her who requested Stephen to marry her to you.” She said with a bright smile. 

“What makes you so sure of that?” He asked her curiously.

“You can take my word on it.” She giggled and then grabbed on his hand. “Come. I want to take you somewhere.”

Shazan followed her lead with a smile. He was curious as to where Renesme wanted to take him. She had only been here for a month. And he was told that she had not left the Palace in that duration. 

“Where are we going?” He asked. 

“There’s a town several miles from here, to the left. I want to see it. And then I want to take you somewhere in the west. There’s a waterfall there. I like such places.” 

“You have been there before?” 

“No.” She answered as she shook her head. 

He didn’t know what to ask her anymore. He had so many questions. He was curious, and his curiosity was killing him, but he bore it. He was certain that she could sense those places. But the Waterfall she was talking about was nowhere near this Palace. It was nearly 25 miles away, and the town of Altdorf was at a similar distance from here. How could her senses be so sharp?

Renesme led him to the terrace, and a realization hit him. He had not seen anyone on the way here, and it was unusual. 

“I used my Powers to keep away people from crossing our path, and those that were here were influenced by me to move away.”

As if she had read his thoughts, she answered him. 

“Have you been sneaking out of the Palace in the past few days?” 

“No. I didn’t leave the Palace. I just stayed here and sensed the entire terrain. I had seen some of it when Julius brought me here on the helicopter. It’s a beautiful place.” 

Shazan shook his head in dismay. 

“The town you want to see is called Altdorf. It’s not a big town, but it’s situated in a valley. It can be said that it is a beautiful place. The waterfall you want to see has no name.”

Renesme nodded to his words and stepped on the terrace as the door opened on its own.

The fresh breeze kissed his face, and he took in a deep breath. His eyes scanned the scenery surrounding the Palace. The Wise-Blood Palace was hidden between the Mountains. There was no road that connected to it, and it was also forbidden to the explorers. These were the reasons why it was not known to the World. 

“Let’s go” She led him forward.

Shazan confusedly looked at her.

“Go where? And how? The Helicopters are on the other terrace.” 

“I am not sitting in that thing. It’s not fun.” 

Her words made him smile. She was behaving like a child, and it made her adorable. 

“Silly girl, how would we be able to see those place if we don’t take the helicopter. They are not so close, and don’t tell me that you want to have a walk.”

“Walks get boring, but we could walk in the Sky, if you want that.” She looked at him with a bright smile. And her eyes were serious. 

Shazan didn’t know what was happening now. He questioned if he had heard her right, and if it was not a dream. He stopped and stood there looking in her eyes for a while, and he found no hint of playfulness in her expressions. She had meant what she had said. 

“You can Walk in the Sky?”

Renesme nodded at him. 

“You can fly?” He asked again.

“Yes, I can!” She giggled, and then before his eyes, her figure rose in the air. 

He was enchanted by what was happening before his eyes. She was floating in the air, but before he could make sense of it, he felt his body turn light, and then his feet left the floor. He rose in the sky together with her, and they kept rising in the sky. He saw the Palace under him turn smaller and smaller, and the wind around them turned colder. And when they finally came to a halt, he could see miles and miles from the height at which they stood. He could see the town of Altdorf from between the clouds. The shimmering golden lights of the town decorated the darkness of the night.

Renesme let him take his time. He took in deep breaths and marveled at the view from up there. It was exhilarating. 

He could see ice-capped peaks, and the clusters of clouds. He could hear the soft song of the gentle wind.

“No wonder you wouldn’t like traveling in the Helicopter.” He teasingly laughed and nudged her nose. 

“You can let go of my hand if you want. You won’t fall.” She sweetly smiled and informed him. 

“I don’t want to.” He answered her and squeezed her hand before lacing his fingers with hers. “What would you do if someone sees us flying in the air like this?” 

“Don’t worry about it, no one can see us. We are invisible to their eyes. Even Keira won’t be able to see us if we stood right in front of her.” 

“You can do that too?” He exclaimed in surprise. He had heard of people who possessed the ability to turn invisible, but they were all members of a secret clan that was not associated with any of the two Orders. 

“Yes. I can use a lot of Myriad Laws that fall under the Supreme Law of Spirit. I can read minds as well, influence them, but I can’t control the minds as you can. However, I can create illusions to control them to a certain extent.”

“If you grow stronger, you will be able to control minds as well?” 

“Maybe, and maybe not,” Renesme answered, and turned silent for a while. “I have attained the Supreme Law of Spirit from my family, but it’s not the Supreme Law of an Azrael, and therefore, my Law of Spirit is incomplete. It will never be complete, that’s the rule. It is possible that even if I grow stronger, I might not gain more Myriad Laws that fall under the Supreme Law of Spirit. I am happy with the ones I already have. I can Fly without using Wings, I can create Illusions, turn invisible, read minds, I can sense the Spirit of the world, I can do a lot of things with it, and then there are my Eyes of the Spirit. I can see the truth of the world.” 

“Aren't you a little too talented?” He teased her, and he felt proud of her for some reason. 

Shazan didn’t know about a lot of things she had spoken of. He was curious as to why Renesme would say that the Law of the Spirit was not the Law of an Azrael. She had not told him why she called herself an Azrael when her family name was Axius. He still wasn’t sure what these Laws were, but he understood that all the Myriad Laws fell under certain Supreme Laws, and he could understand that it was not possible that people with complete Supreme Laws existed in high numbers. That would be the pinnacle of Power.

“I can tell you what the Law of an Azrael is if you want to know.” She looked at him and said. 

He was now certain that she had been reading his mind. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel uncomfortable by the thought of it. 

“I do want to know everything about you. I want to know you.” He looked in her eyes and answered her. He squeezed her hand affectionately, and he earned a blush on her cheeks. 

“You already claimed me in front of everyone.” She squinted her eyes a little but then giggled. “If anyone had claimed me as his property, I would have killed him. An Azrael can never be a property of someone.” 

“You can read my mind, girl. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know, and even if you did mean it in that sense, I wouldn’t have killed you.”

“And why’s that?”

He was genuinely curious about the matter in question, but Renesme only smiled at him and didn’t answer. She was at it again, and he could only helplessly sigh. He was waiting for the day now when he would be ready to hear all that she had to tell.

“The Law of an Azrael is the Law of Life,” Renesme whispered.  

The Law of Life.

The words echoed, and somehow, he was lost in the blank scape in his mind. He was just lost. It was as if his mind was searching for answers without any questions. He did not even realize that the language Renesme had spoken in was not something he was familiar with.

Renesme didn’t let him stay in that state for more than a few moments. He felt his body move, and then they were flying towards the town of Altdorf. His attention was now on what he was experiencing, and his mind was filled with appreciation for this majestic ability. He saved every detail of this experience in his memory lane, and the soft touch of her delicate hand was the best part of the memory he was creating. 

They landed right in the center of the main road of the town. People and cars passed by them, and no one could see them. It was for the first time that he had stood in the crowd without having their attention on him. It felt good. Renesme seemed to have seen a town for the first time with her eyes. She looked around the buildings and the architecture. She had a little smile on her face, but it was not enough to tell if she liked what she was seeing or she was unimpressed. She led him by his hand and made him introduce the shops and their specialties. They sneaked inside a clothing store and looked around, but none of the dresses impressed her. She didn’t point out the flaws in the dresses, but she never spared another glance to any dress. It meant that they were not pretty enough to her liking. 

“Towns are boring.” 

It was her assessment, and Shazan nodded in agreement. He didn’t like towns or cities. He loved staying away from the crowd, and that was why none of his private properties were inside a city or a town. He was the kind of man who loved peace and silence. The only liveliness he loved and cherished was of his family, and nothing else mattered to him. He was the kind of man who loved listening to animals and birds more than the humans that roamed this world.

Renesme took him to the Waterfall in the west. It was for the second time that he had touched the sky, but the excitement and appreciation were not short in any sense. He realized that traveling in Helicopters or Jets would never be the same for him. He felt as if he would get addicted to flying in the sky. The wind brushed on his face, and the touch of it made him joyful. The weightlessness he felt in the air made him laugh in excitement. He felt like he belonged in the skies.

She was by his side. Their fingers were still laced together. And when he laughed, she joined in. He was happy today, and she was happy for him. 

The landed directly on the water, and Shazan learned about another skill of Renesme. They were both standing on top of the water. He could do that too, but he would have to summon his Aura shield under his feet. The control he had over standing or walking on water was nothing compared to hers. And she was supporting him as well.

The Waterfall was not too high, but the freezing water falling from it was loud and boisterous. The scenery surrounding them was serene, just the way they liked it. They were alone there under the night sky, and every passing second made their hearts grow fond of each other.

It all just happened. They started dancing under the light of the bright stars. The crashing water was their music, and the song was the beat of their blissful hearts. The time passed, the stars got brighter in the sky, and the mistiness of the waterfall soaked their clothes. He twirled her round and round, and her melodious laughter made him fall deeper in love with her. Everything about her attracted him to her. He was helpless against her.

Her warm body was in his embrace, and her arms were wrapped around his waist. She rested her head on his heart, and she was listening to it as they swayed together. 

“Renesme.” He called out her name.

“Yes, Shazan?”

Her sweet answer made his resolve and desire stronger. 

Shazan separated from her, and then he went down on his knee before her. He caressed her hand and stared right in her eyes. He knew that she was reading his mind right now, but he still voiced his desire.

“Be mine, forever and ever. And make me yours.” He smiled with affection. “Marry me, Renesme Azrael.” 

Her face bloomed in a blush that made his heart skip a beat. 

“I am yours, forever and ever, my husband…” She gave her answer and recited his name in her heart. 

'Shazan Silverstein Azrael’