Chapter Nineteen

~ Ally ~

Someone bustled into his study, startling him. He looked up from the requests, only to be startled some more. It was Ahra, the girl from Virgula. He could already feel the burning of his scar and the agitation of his magical energy. Behind her were two of his men posted outside his door, both having sheepish expressions on each of their face.

“I would like to talk to you, council member.” Ahra said, throwing a look at the two men when she added, “Alone.”

Suho scrunched his eyebrows together in a frown. “You could leave us.” He told the men.

When the two left and the door closed, Ahra turned to him. “I have magic.” She revealed without any hesitation.

He blinked at her. If he had thought there’s nothing more surprising than this girl appearing in his study, he was just proved wrong by her statement now.

“I have magic,” she said it again, “And so do you.”

He really should stop getting shocked. “How did you know?” he questioned nervously.

“Because it’s part of my magic to know.” She walked to take a seat on the chair in front of his desk. “And that’s not the only thing you’re hiding. You’ve experienced something odd when the Arcanum cards disappeared weeks ago.”

A laugh was all that escaped his mouth. His mind was having a hard time coping up with what’s coming out of .

“I daresay what happened to you that night is in connection to the disappearance of the cards.” She continued, not minding his laugh. “You’re one of those hosts I’m looking for.”

His mind was reeling. She really has to stop. It was too much for him to handle right now.

“Oh,” she paused her tirade, as if she could tell his crumbling sanity. “I’m sorry.”

He recovered from shock well enough to send her a look of disbelief. I’m sorry?

“Well,” she cleared . “I got carried away and made you look like you wanted to cry.”

“Look, Ahra,” he tried to say properly, but his voice came out a little squeaky.

“No, you look, Suho.” She interrupted. She’s not finished with divulging yet. “What I’m about to tell you is something I haven’t bothered to tell the other council members. They wouldn’t believe me even if I did. But you, on the other hand, would.”

He squirmed under her intense gaze. She seemed so serious, it was scaring him.

“In Virgula, we still believe in the goddess Azrin. Before she faded away completely hundreds of years ago, she left us a vow. She left us those Arcanum cards. They were our only hope.” She relayed in a no-nonsense tone.

“Hope to what?” Suho had to ask.

“Our only hope in desperate times.” Ahra leaned forward slightly. “A prophecy told us that evil will rise again, and we will need the power from those cards.”

“Evil,” he repeated, frowning down at the papers on his desk. Why isn’t he waking up?

“Yes, evil.” She spoke firmly. “There are evils in this world that aren’t exactly human. Not that evil people are humane, but you should get what I’m trying to say.”

No, he did not get what she was trying to say. Magic, disappearing cards, goddess