Lyne stared at the fierce and fearless woman that was staring back at her in the mirror. A lot has happened in two years and she had made sure she protected her most cherished gift of all with all she had; her daughter. She was not that scrawny little girl that was always at the mercy of bullies. Or the lady that got unending taunting from Luana. 

    Lyne remembered how growing up in South Park with her father and her siblings had been. It had not been really pleasant for her as she was always picked on by her siblings. She remembered how they take turns to scare her with their wolf abilities sometimes. This was because she had no wolf then and was the odd one out of the family. Her life was somewhat lonely even while living with her own family. She gently ran her left hand through her golden hair sighing deeply as she did so.

    The memory of how she met Zeidan came rushing back. Her dad had taken them all on vacation to South Jungle. Often she would leave where the rest was and sneak into the forest to be alone. She was running through the forest when she felt a spear fly past her head from behind, missing her by just a few centimeters. She fell on the dirty ground face down soiling her clothes with earth, and as she was calculating her misfortunes, she felt the presence of someone. Turning to look back she saw a tall figure obscuring the ray of sunlight that managed to penetrate the woods. He was tall and muscular. He pulled her up with so much strength and she fell right into his hands. He had brown hair that matched his brown eyes. She remembers staring at his lips as he talked about how sorry he was for almost harming her. 

    The way they had gotten in love and gotten married was also another thing of interest. Her father had made it mandatory for Zeidan to keep her safe. He had even gone to the extent of making Zeidan sign a pact to make sure Zeidan kept to his word.

    Lyne remembered how she had moved from South Park and followed Zeidan to Vampire City to start a new life there. Zeidan had been a loving husband and he had kept to the promise he made to her father ever since then. She missed Zeidan dearly and wished she was with him. How she would have loved it if Aurora was in the presence of her father. Luana coming into the picture was where the whole thing started getting messy. Luana had done much more harm than good and she was even part of the reason why she left Vampire City in the first place. She wondered what might have happened if Luana had not shown up in her life.

    Her encounter with Chloe and Maya came into her mind. She also remembers going to Los Angeles to investigate Maya and how she had met Tina. Poor Tina, she wished she could have saved her. She was just a victim of circumstance. Maya was a very terrible individual, one that does not deserve to live. And she resolved in her mind to make sure her killer pays for her crimes.

    All these events had made and molded her into this fearless woman she was staring at in the mirror. She was now a fierce protector of her daughter. Perhaps all these were meant to happen. Feeling no regrets now, she picked up the scissors that were lying in front of her. She hesitated a little and then she measured her hair with the scissors. Golden hairs trickled down onto the ground as she trimmed her hair. The fierce woman now stared at her with her golden hair at shoulder length. This is who she is now. She set the scissors down on the table and left the room.

    Zeidan woke up and remained motionless for some moment before turning to look at Luana lying beside him. She was still asleep. It was still very early in the morning. He stared at the ceiling and the woman beside him. One thing that Lyne kept saying was not to trust Luana. Perhaps she was right somehow. But ever since he had fallen sick, she has stood in the gap for him and helped with the running of the state. 

    He sat up in bed and checked the clock. It indicated 04:15 am. He stood up, feeling a little light-headed, and he staggered silently towards the bathroom. He went to the sink and sprinkled water on his face, grabbed a towel to wipe it off, and then he staggered back into the room. 

    “Do you trust Luana?” Zeidan could hear Lyne’s voice like she was standing right in front of him. He blocked his ears with his hands in a bid to curb the thought playing in his head. What if Lyne was right and he just was not seeing it? He remembered what Lyne had said afterward.

    “She has no business here. She has no right to meddle in this, the affairs of the state. You never can tell what she is capable of after she lied against Wikh.” Those were the words of Lyne. He walked towards Gabe’s cot. The baby was fast asleep. He turned his gaze to Luana who was also asleep. Then he summoned the strength and headed for the door. 

    Zeidan grabbed a lamp and a match stick from the room. In a bid not to wake Luana, he headed out of the room before lighting the lamp. He hobbled out of the palace and down the stairs outside the palace. He headed for the forest behind the temple breathing deeply as he hobbled along. Finally, he came to the opening of the dungeon where he had kept his most valuable heritage, The Onyx Room. 

    He opened the door and locked it behind him. He remembers how Hail, his father had passed the crystal stone to him. He walked slowly towards where the crystal was and his heart sank at the sight. The crystal was dimming. He knew what this meant. When his father had brought him here to show him the crystal, it was shining brightly. Hail had told him that whenever the light of the crystal starts dimming, it only meant the owner was going to die very soon. 

    Zeidan leaned weakly against the wall and thought of what to do. He does not have much time anymore. He wished he had been here sooner. He could not leave everything in the hands of Luana. Perhaps the voice of Lyne in his head was a way he could uncover the truth and solve this misery. He had Gabe as an heir to the throne, yet he does not feel like he truly is. He kept on wondering if the stone won’t die before he has an heir to the throne or perhaps make up his mind and ease off all doubts that Gabe was his. 

    He eased off the wall and started heading to the palace, at least now he knows there was little time left for him and he needed to act fast.