It was noontime when Alex and Abi arrived at Reign's castle. The royal family welcomed them, but when Alex heard Kai and Zeke were not in the castle, the couple immediately left and headed to Alex's old house.
The ancient house no longer looked desolate like before. It was renovated and it now looked like a beautiful and elegant ancient mini-hotel.
"You think we'll be able to meet them tonight?" Abi asked Alex. They were sitting leisurely at an outside table as the calm and relaxing afternoon breeze blew gently on them.
"I'm certain Zeke already knew about our arrival. He's just probably uninterested. That guy only appears if there's trouble interesting enough to catch his attention." Alex said as he glanced heavenward.
Abi creased her brows. "Are you saying he is trying to avoid us?"
"He's not trying to avoid us. He's just probably too lazy or too unmotivated to come to us. That guy tends to disappear when everything's peaceful."
"But there's a problem, a serious one, Alex. This isn't just about Kelly. This is about his younger brother too. And… you said there might be something wrong about Kai. Did he not care if Kai will…" Abi bit her lower lip, realizing that she was starting to feel upset.
Alex held her hand and pulled her towards him, making her sit on her lap. He wrapped his arms around Abi's waist as he sniffed Abi's scent, his favorite perfume. "Calm down, my love." He whispered lovingly before his voice became serious. "Zeke is… well, Zeke. He doesn't like dealing with things that involve emotions. But don't worry, I know where he is." He smirked mischievously. "I'll hunt him once the night comes."
"Would he help?"
"I will make sure of it." He assured.
Abi stared at him. "You're leaving me here?"
"Hunting Zeke is not easy, Abi. And…" his gaze traveled downwards and settled to Abi's tummy. He gently rubbed her flat belly and smiled at her. "I'd prefer if you stay here, my love. And besides, you said you want to talk to Kai, right?"
"Yes, I wanted to talk to him. You won't mind me going to look for him alone?"
"No. But not alone, my love."
Abi raised a brow. "I'm an immortal now, Alex. Just like you."
"Yes. But immortal or not, I never want you getting hurt. I'd be at ease if someone can accompany you."
"Someone…"
"I can ask for Raven to come –"
"No, Alex. Not Raven. How about you bring me to the Black Forest? I can find Kai easily with the help of Alicia, and she could also accompany me to look for him afterward." Abi negotiated.
Alex considered her suggestion for a moment, and after a short while, he finally agreed, causing Abi to beam in delight. She had missed her friend and Zeres too. She wanted to see how Zeres was doing.
Thus, that afternoon, the couple traveled to the Black Forest and arrived at the forest' entrance before sunset.
"Abi!" Alicia, who just emerged from the entrance, looked elated at the sight of Abigail.
As the two ladies began to chatter, Alex glanced at the dark entrance as if waiting for someone to come out.
"Zeres is –"
"I'm leaving my wife in your care, Alicia." Alex cut her off, and without waiting for Alicia's response, he pulled Abi close to him and gently bumped his forehead on hers. "I'll be back," he kissed her, and then, abruptly, he disappeared.
"It's a relief that Alexander can now leave you to someone's care this easily." Alicia flashed a playful smile.
Abi smiled back. "Well, he's at ease now that I'm immortal," she shrugged, looking pleased. Abi was glad because Alex could finally roam around freely without worrying too much about her. He still worries, of course, but he was a lot more relaxed now. "Where's Zeres?" she asked as they walked deeper in the forest when Alicia halted.
A hint of worry glimmered in Alicia's eyes that made Abi looked puzzled.
Slightly creasing her brows, Abi faced Alicia. "Is there… is there something wrong? Is Zeres giving you a hard time?" Abi hesitantly asked, now looking a little worried as well. "Is he causing you trouble, Alicia?"
Alicia shook her head. "Actually, he's… how should I put this," Alicia hesitated, but after a moment, she eventually continued. "It's the opposite, Abi. He's too docile—way too, docile. Since the day we came back, he never… he never even tried to cause any trouble at all. You know, he's like… a super well-behaved pet! No, at least, a pet troubles its owner about some things like food and attention but Zeres… he's just… I don't know. He's too well-behaved, too compliant. It's getting eerie, Abigail."
Abi could only blink as she listened to Alicia's unexpected complaints.
"Tell me, Abi. Is he always like that? I asked him if there's something he wanted to do or somewhere he wanted to visit, but he asked the question back to me instead. I tried to speak with him multiple times, but it seemed he really doesn't have anything he wanted to do at all. And…" she paused, and her face became a little grave. "I think he's trying to avoid me or distance himself from me."
"What? He's avoiding you?"
"He never approaches me on his own, Abi. I was always the one trying to reach out to him. And he only speaks when I ask. And whenever he answers, he always sounded like all he wanted was to end the conversation. I so wanted to read his mind to know what the hell he is thinking about. I'm worried he's already bored, and…" Alicia paused and shook her head. She couldn't help but think about the words Ezekiel had told her, about Zeres being a threat. "I was planning to visit you to talk to you about this, so I am really glad that you came Abi. I'd like you to speak to him. Maybe, he'll open up if it's you."
Abi could see that Alicia seemed to be in a real pinch. She didn't expect this queen, who used to be so regal and calm even in dire situations, was actually quite troubled because of someone's docile behavior. But she couldn't blame her. Zeke spent many years to understand Alex after all.
Flashing Alicia an encouraging smile, Abi gently pressed Alicia's hand and nodded at her. "Okay, I will speak to him. I'll see what I can do," she told her, and Alicia sighed in relief.
Without delay, Alicia brought Abi to Zeres' favorite spot. "I'll wait for you two in the house, Abi. You go talk to him and bring him back for dinner later," she whispered before she left.
Zeres was lying on a flat stone in the middle of a small meadow. His one knee bent and his head on top of his folded arm. His eyes were gazing at the sky, but it didn't seem like he was watching the stars. His white snow robe and his silver hair were scattered on top of the flat black stone, and they seemed glowing in the dark.
"Zeres," Abi called as she stepped closer to him, and abruptly, the man rose, and his head whipped towards Abi.
