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Valeriana, the woman Eliana addressed, hovered in a meditative position, a violent crimson aura swirling around her. Slowly, her eyes cracked open, the fiery irises settling on her daughter. "What\'s wrong, Eliana?" she asked, a hint of concern cutting through the intensity of her meditation.

"It\'s bad, Mother," Eliana stammered, the fear thick in her voice. "Really bad. Raven, he..." Her words caught in her throat, terror momentarily rendering her speechless.

A knot of dread tightened in Valeriana\'s stomach. "Calm yourself first," she instructed gently, reaching out with a wave of soothing energy that washed over Eliana. "Tell me what happened."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Eliana forced herself to speak. "Darius… he used Soul Condemnation on Raven." The words hung heavy in the air, a death knell that sent a jolt through Valeriana.

"What?!" The shock ripped through her composure, the aura around her flaring momentarily.

"It\'s a technique that destroys his soul slowly," Eliana explained, voice trembling.

"I know what it does," Valeriana snapped, the calmness from before replaced by a simmering rage. "It\'s a forbidden technique, one our ancestor, obtained from the Vampire King. But are you sure, Eliana? Are you absolutely certain?"

Eliana\'s grim nod spoke volumes. She launched into a detailed account of Darius\' interrogation, recounting the strained sessions with him and his allies, even a few disapproving elders. Piece by piece, she laid out how the evidence fit together.

The sudden diagnosis of D potential for Raven seemed orchestrated, a convenient excuse for some of the elders to punish the boy for his resemblance to the man they loathed. Valeriana listened, her expression hardening with each revelation.

Eliana explained how they used Valeriana\'s seclusion and Eliana\'s absence to create an opportunity. With the patriarch temporarily weakened and unable to intervene, they saw it as the perfect chance to get rid of Raven. Killing him, however, was likely out of the question; they couldn\'t predict Valeriana\'s reaction, even in her weakened state.

So, exile became the solution - a way to remove the shame from the royal family\'s eyes without incurring Valeriana\'s wrath.

"They knew you wouldn\'t defy them, Mother," Eliana said, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Injured, weakened, ostracized, you had little power or support. Patriarch\'s daughter or not, you were vulnerable and Darius also being your brother he had sway not to mention grandfather was missing at the time."

Despite everything, she continued, Darius maintained some form of surveillance on Raven, just as they had. However, Raven vanished after entering a forest known for a major battle. The curse placed upon him as a tracker flickered and died, leading them to believe he perished within the woods.

As Eliana finished her narrative, a suffocating silence descended upon the room. Valeriana, now a storm brewing beneath the surface, hovered in a stillness that sent shivers down Eliana\'s spine. The air crackled with raw, unbridled fury. The Soul Condemnation technique, the orchestrated exile, the convenient disappearance – each detail fueled a fire within Valeriana, a fire that promised retribution.

"Wait... You got all this from interrogating?" Asked Valeriana tears flowing down her eyes but Eliana didn\'t answer.

" Eliana... What did you do. Are those people alive?" Asked Valeriana.

Valeriana\'s question hung heavy in the air, a stark counterpoint to Eliana\'s silence. Finally, the truth spilled from Eliana\'s lips, a confession laced with a chilling revelation. "They are dead, mother," she said, voice calm and cold. "I… I killed them. What remained is… a cold puppet that only accepts orders to fight. I used a spell I found in the vault."

Valeriana\'s eyes widened in surprise, did she feel remorse? No. They were bound to die anyway. But this way was even better as they didn\'t waste and power.

Shame washed over her. "It\'s all my fault," she choked out, tears flowing freely now. "I ignored Raven, hoping that man wouldn\'t target him to get to me. Hypocrite, wasn\'t I? I ignored Raven but took care of you." Her voice broke, raw emotion tearing through her composure.

"I hoped… by ignoring him, I\'d keep him safe. No, that\'s not it. I ignored him because he was a constant reminder of that man… how he hurt me, the betrayal. Even after coming back and finding him gone, I just asked you to keep an eye on him assuming he was okay." Her voice turned into a desolate whisper. "I didn\'t know anything about the D grade potential, the curse… or is it that I didn\'t care?"

Eliana, tears blurring her vision, mirrored her mother\'s anguish. "It\'s not all you," she sobbed. "I even bullied him in the guise of training. I lied to myself, saying I only wanted him strong. Now I know it was just… me lashing out. All because I was mad at that man for hurting you, and I took it out on Raven."

A tense silence descended, broken only by their ragged breaths and choked sobs. Suddenly, Valeriana straightened, a flicker of determination replacing the despair. She reached for a scroll, a glint of purpose in her eyes. "Wait a minute," she declared, unfurling the parchment.

With a muttered incantation, the scroll glowed, bathing them in an ethereal light. It scanned them both, searching their very essence. A moment later, the light focused, revealing a single word hovering beside each of their names.

Valeriana – [Maternal Bias] – Dispelled

Eliana – [None]

Eliana\'s brow furrowed in confusion. "What is this, Mom?" she asked hesitantly.

Valeriana stared at the inscription above her own name, a chilling realization dawning on her face. "I was cursed," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "But how? I didn\'t have any physical contact with Darius after Raven\'s birth… "

Her eyes narrowed in sudden understanding. "It\'s him!" she exclaimed, a spark of fury igniting within her. "The only time I was vulnerable was during our fight, the one that regressed my rank. That man… although they left hurriedly, he didn\'t look like a loser."

A horrifying truth unfolded before them. That man, in a final act of spite, had placed a curse upon Valeriana, warping her feelings towards her own son. Her subconscious aversion to Raven, her dismissal of his struggles, it wasn\'t entirely her own.

*********

Frustration hung heavy in the air as Valeriana paced the cold floor of the chamber. The weight of unanswered questions pressed down on her, each tick of the clock an agonizing echo of their lost time. Eliana, sat on a chair looking at her mother.

"Silvencrest," Valeriana muttered, tracing a finger along the intricate network of roads on the map. "It\'s the only lead we have. Raven was last seen there, according to Darius."

Eliana\'s brow furrowed as she studied the map. "It\'s a gamble," she admitted, "a vast city filled with countless eyes and ears it\'s also been years. Finding Raven there will be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Valeriana stopped pacing, her eyes hardening with resolve. "A gamble we must take. Every passing moment increases the danger he faces."

"There might be another option," Eliana said hesitantly, reaching into a satchel beside her. With a flourish, she produced a small, intricate box carved from a jet-black stone. "I recovered this from a hidden repository within the Vault. It\'s a bloodline tracker, an artefact said to detect the presence of a specific bloodline regardless of distance. Atleast we\'ll know if he\'s alive."

Valeriana\'s eyes widened. "A bloodline tracker? There was something like that in the vault? Can it truly locate Raven?"

"There\'s aloy of things in the vault some are very dangerous others I don\'t have access to only you the Empress has. As for this artefact it holds the potential, yes." Eliana admitted, her voice cautious. "However, specific rituals and preparations are needed to activate it. Resources must be gathered, would require some days."

Valeriana clenched her fists. Days. Days they couldn\'t afford. The gnawing fear for Raven\'s safety intensified, a storm brewing within her. She looked at the map again, her gaze fixed on Silvencrest.

"I cannot wait," she declared, her voice firm. "I will head to Silvencrest immediately. Perhaps while I search for clues there, you can complete the preparations for the bloodline tracker."

Eliana\'s lips pursed in understanding. While she didn\'t like the idea of Valeriana facing unknown dangers alone, she understood the mother\'s urgency. "Very well," she conceded.

A flicker of gratitude softened Valeriana\'s features. "Thank you, Eliana."

***********

King Aethelred tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest of his throne, a frown creasing his brow. "Ashburn," he called out, his voice heavy with regal authority.

Ashburn, the King\'s advisor, materialized from the shadows, his form a silent testament to his years of service. "Your Majesty," he bowed deeply.

"Tell me again," Aethelred rumbled, "the name of the boy… my other son."

"Draven, Your Majesty," Ashburn confirmed.

"Draven," the King repeated, savoring the name on his tongue. "That\'s right. Strong, is he?"

Ashburn pursed his lips. "He possesses immense potential. He could have broken through to six stars… seven months ago, but he suppressed it."

Aethelred\'s eyes widened. "Six stars? And without the resources a prince normally gets?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Ashburn replied. "He has fended for himself, living in the wild and surviving on his own skills."

A smirk played on the King\'s lips. "That boy… he has my blood in him, that much is clear." A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fetch him. I want him brought before me."

Across the castle, in the dank confines of the dungeon, Faustina, the Dragon Queen and Axl\'s mother, had overheard the exchange. Her hand clenched into a fist, her nails digging into her palm. "He brings that woman\'s child here?" she hissed, fury twisting her features. "This threatens Axl\'s claim to the throne! I can\'t allow this."

Her mind raced, formulating a plan. She needed to shift Aethelred\'s focus back to Axl. "Yes, that\'s it," she muttered, a glint of determination hardening her gaze. "I need to make Axl get his attention again."

With renewed purpose, Faustina strode through the shadowed halls, her steps echoing in the oppressive silence. She descended deeper into the castle, her destination clear: the dungeon where her son, Axl, was being punished for his recent failures.

Meanwhile, Aethelred sat brooding on his throne. "Unlike my… \'legitimate\' son," he spat the word with disdain, "who has nothing to show for himself but his undeserved " blessed" title." A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "This Draven, on the other hand… he may be useful."

But a wave of frustration washed over him. "Yet, I need to restore fear and respect," he thought, his gaze hardening. "The other race leaders… I can feel their growing contempt. The Vampire Queen… twelve stars while the rest of us stagnate at mid 11 star at best. And the Elves… those arrogant bitches, have two eleven stars amongst them already.

And Kali… that woman is nearing the upper realm of eleven stars. The human child… a growing annoyance. Another eleven star in the making, but that damned old fossil protects her. Though it\'s not him I\'m afraid of but the weapons and techniques the first human Emperor left, they are too unpredictable."

He clenched his fists, frustration simmering. "As it stands, I hold only a complete edge over the \'current humans\' and dwarves and the humans are slipping away. The rest… unpredictable. Why are my dragons so stagnant, what\'s holding our progress. Right now I regret the loss of that imbecile 10 star. This situation… I don\'t like it.

Maybe I should rob the humans while they are weak ... I may lose a lot but I will gain so much more, but I can\'t do it hastily." He was lost in thought.

***********

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