Chapter 192: Sofia
Half an hour ago...
Gavriel, who had been in a deep sleep beside Aliana, snapped his eyes open the moment he felt a familiar presence materialise inside the chalet.
His blue orbs lowered, only to find Aliana snuggled close to him as though he were a human pillow. One hand was wrapped around his waist, one leg tangled with his, and her face rested against his chest.
He stared at her for a while, taking in the sight he had been waking up to for the past couple of days, only to find himself growing greedier to be greeted by it every morning.
But no matter how much he wanted to remain in this state of bliss, a pressing presence called to him.
With a soft sigh leaving his lips, he reluctantly untangled himself from her, careful enough not to wake her.
After pulling the blanket back over her, he dressed himself in a black shirt, black trousers, and a long black coat before making his way to the adjoining side of the chalet, where his private office was located.
Upon entering, Reve bowed on seeing his master, "Master, forgive me for disturbing your rest."
"I trust you have a good reason to," Gavriel replied. His voice was low as he stared at Reve with cold eyes. Any traces of the gentleness reserved exclusively for Aliana had vanished.
"I do, Master," Reve replied, lifting his head to meet Gavriel’s gaze. "It is about the witch Sofia. The one you sent me to inform regarding your upcoming visit."
Gavriel narrowed his eyes. "Is she being difficult?"
"It is... not that, Master." Reve hesitated, a tremor of nervousness passing through him that Gavriel caught instantly.
"Spit it out, Reve," Gavriel commanded.
"She is dead, Master," Reve replied, lowering his head as he braced himself for Gavriel’s wrath.
A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the space.
Reve could feel the immediate shift in the atmosphere, knowing his master well enough to recognise the dangerous anger radiating from him.
As for why that fury was not manifesting in a more visceral, destructive form, Reve could only guess it was because Miss Aliana was sleeping right across the hall.
"How?" Gavriel demanded, his voice dropping to a much darker, icier tone.
"I think it would be best if you see for yourself, Master," Reve replied carefully, weighing every syllable so as not to provoke him further.
Reve knew his Master had been desperately searching for answers regarding the mysteries surrounding Miss Aliana from the exact moment they began interacting with each other.
Sofia could have been the key to unlocking those secrets. She was a powerful witch who possessed the rare gift to see the past and future alike.
Witches were not exactly humans.
There were white and dark witches who had the gift to live a long life, depending on how powerful they were.
Yet they could die easily, just like humans, if they were hit with grave injuries.
For centuries, they had been hunted by humans, because of which they preferred to stay in hiding and not reveal themselves easily.
Sofia, being a dark witch, had once crossed paths with Gavriel long ago in Aria itself.
At that time, she did not know who he was when she was being hunted by humans... who were on a witch hunt. This was back when Aria was still a small village.
Gavriel had appeared out of nowhere to collect the soul of a man who happened to be hunting her, and in return, he unknowingly ended up saving her.
But just when he was about to leave, she had a vision and gave him a cryptic reading.
’An unexpected soul shall entwine with your own. Total ruin or infinite grace shall spill from the knot you choose to tie.’
Gavriel had ignored the woman and would have killed her for being a dark witch. But when she claimed she had the rare gift to see the future and past, he spared her, thinking one day she could be useful.
Gavriel knew she was crafty by nature but still useful. So he had lent her his powers just to keep her hideout out of others’ sight, so that the woman could keep on living and be of use when the time came.
Sofia was happy to serve him since he had unknowingly saved her life and offered her his protection, but her only condition remained that she would never help the humans who had mercilessly hunted her kind. She had harboured an immense hatred for humanity, and in her eyes, they were inherently selfish and greedy creatures.
That was precisely why Gavriel had been reluctant to take Aliana with him to meet Sofia, knowing the crafty witch would either refuse to help him or deliberately withhold the answers he sought the moment she saw a human standing by his side.
But Gavriel also knew how to get exactly what he wanted.
He had sent Reve in advance to inform the woman of their impending arrival, asking her to pay him back for saving her life back then and keeping her safe until now.
Yet, Reve had never expected the woman to be killed just when they were so close to uncovering the answers they desperately needed.
Gavriel clenched his jaw tightly before closing his eyes, forcing himself to restrain the anger threatening to spill out.
He had to keep reminding himself that Aliana was in the same house, resting peacefully. And the last thing he wanted was for her sleep to be disturbed because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check. Emotions that were becoming a far greater problem than he would have ever liked.
When he was safely able to tuck his anger on a tight leash, Gavriel opened his eyes again, only for them to turn blood-red.
He then raised his hand, and thick black smoke slipped from his palm before cascading onto the floor like liquid darkness. It quickly spread throughout the entire structure of the chalet, wrapping it within a powerful barrier.
Once it was fully in place, he turned to look outside the window, watching his powers pulse around the chalet like a protective blanket.
He chose not to expand the perimeter any further from the chalet, thinking it might be sufficient for now since Aliana was in a deep sleep. No one would be able to enter the house, and there was zero possibility for her to step outside.
With that, he made a decision to inspect the witch’s place quickly before returning to her.
"Let’s make this fast," he finally said, signalling Reve to leave, and moments later, the two of them materialised in the middle of the snow-covered woods before a large cave that had once been concealed behind his barrier.