<h4>Chapter 522: A journey to their past lives (17)</h4>


    <strong>The Past 16:</strong>


    Ophelia gently touched the pale, still skin of her daughter, Anaya, her hand trembling uncontrobly. Since the morning, she had been trying relentlessly to revive her. Indulging in the forbidden dark magic was strictly not allowed by the coven’sws, but Ophelia didn’t hesitate for a moment. Anaya was the only one in this world whom she loved more than her own life.


    "How am I going to live without you, my beautiful daughter?" Ophelia murmured. Her eyes dropped to the wound on Anaya’s chest where the silver knife had been driven deep. "I will kill them, Anaya. I will make sure they never stay together in any life. They both will pay dearly for what they did to you."


    As she spoke the curse, her eyes literally bled thick, ck blood, a visible after-effect of the evil sorcery she had channeled.


    She rushed violently to the magic ball and bellowed, her voice shaking the small house. "Is that why you didn’t show the future of my daughter? To prevent me from saving her?" She red at the artifact. "Show me what’s Gabriel up to now!"


    Ophelia darted her gaze at the ball as the swirling, bloody mist quickly formed inside it. Finally, she saw the image. Gabriel was in the same forest where he had killed Anaya, speaking urgently to his Beta, Soren, amid the immobilized wolves.


    "You triggered a wrong woman, Gabriel," Ophelia muttered with malice. "I’m going to burn this entire country to ashes. You’ll die so painfully, a torment you’ve never even imagined. Be ready for my wrath!" She concluded, mming the scrying ball down onto the table.


    ~~~~


    Amelie bit nervously at her nails, unable to shake the pervasive sense of worry as she recalled the terrifying way Anaya had attempted to kill her. The memory of Anaya sessfully casting a spell that briefly stopped Gabriel was even more chilling. "I wonder if Ophelia also uses powerful magic," she mumbled in fear, connecting the witch’s mother to the escting threat.


    Her heart was beating with a frantic rhythm she had never experienced before. Bringing her hand over her chest, she tried desperately to soothe it, but the effort was in vain. Such deep restlessness made her wonder if it was an ominous indication, a premonition of something terrible yet toe.


    The doors of her room opened, pulling her abruptly out of her intense contemtion. Her eyesnded on her mother, Irene, and she immediately slid off the bed to greet her.


    "Mother!" Amelie eximed, rushing toward Irene.


    "Your father is on his way home now," Irene exined hurriedly, her face pale with worry. "Prince Gabriel sent someone saying we need to shift to the pce immediately."


    "What? Why to the pce?" Amelie asked in shock, unable toprehend the sudden, urgentmand.


    "I don’t know the exact reason, dear. But the way the messenger spoke, it seems the Prince wants to keep us safe and under protection. Ophelia is not in her house; she’s vanished. I wonder where she went." Irene wrung her hands. "I feel so angry at myself right now. Because of my carelessness, all of this danger is happening."


    "Mother, you were only being kind to them. Who knew they were such dangerous people?" Amelie said, quickly moving tofort Irene, telling her not to me herself for the witches’ deceit.


    "Well, just pack your clothes, dear. We have to leave by the evening," Irene pronounced, her voice practical now. "They are searching for Ophelia, so I think she will be captured soon."


    "Hmm." Amelie nodded in agreement. Irene hugged her daughter tightly, gently caressing her back. It was an assurance from her side that everything would turn out well.


    She watched her mother leave, and shortly after, two maids walked in to help her with packing her clothes.


    ’Gabriel, where are you?’ Amelie mindlinked with him, worry spiking in her tone.


    ’Amelie, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Did you get the message I sent? You all are shifting to the pce tonight. We have already prepared specialized teams to catch Ophelia. Everything will be fine. I promise.’


    As the mindlink broke, Amelie couldn’t help but think obsessively about Anaya’s menacing words from the previous day. Anaya had warned her about something dangerous, something the High Priest hadn’t revealed to any of them.


    There was a specific star cement in their prepared astrological charts which was supposedly against their union. The fear that anything might happen to Gabriel due to this unknown fate was making her heart violently palpitate.


    Amelie somehow forced herself to focus on the work at hand, concentrating specifically on packing.


    More than two hours passed, and finally, all the necessary clothes and essories had been packed and sealed. Amelie thanked the two maids, who bowed and walked out quietly.


    It was almost lunchtime, but she had absolutely no appetite. She merely wished for this entire ordeal to end soon. A knock urred on the door, again abruptly breaking her thoughts.


    "Come in," Amelie said.


    The doors were pushed open and a different maid walked in. "Miss, an envelope in your name has just arrived. Also, Madam wants you toe downstairs; your father has returned too."


    As the maid informed her, Amelie nodded, taking the thick, unsealed envelope from her. She simply ced it over the table, deciding to deal with itter, and immediately left the room to go see her father.


    "Amelie, dear!" Norris hugged her daughter tightly. "I heard everything from your mother." He pulled away but his hand caressed her head. "You weren’t hurt, were you?"


    "No. I wasn’t," Amelie replied.


    "Come, let’s have lunch together," Norris opined.


    "I’m not hungry, Father. You should have dinner. I would like to rest in my room," Amelie stated.


    Both Norris and Irene exchanged a nce with each other.


    "Alright. Take some rest," Irene told her.


    "Thank you, Mother," Amelie said and returned to her room. She stopped by the window, hoping for Gabriel to return quickly by her side when the envelope on the side table grabbed her attention. She opened it and read the message inside it.


    <strong><i>"Gabriel will die. That’s what is his future. To prevent it, meet me at the backyard of your house at sharp five o’clock. If you dare to tell anyone, then no one can save Gabriel from me. I mean it."</i></strong>