Page 186 of The Wishing Game

"I do not know how to help you if you will not tell me what he has on you." He sighs.

"It is my cross to bear, Cer. But I appreciate your offer," she says with a smile. "Maybe at some point in time..." She shakes her head.

"I'll always be there for you," he murmurs, and suddenly I feel as if I'm intruding on an intimate moment between the two. "Regardless of whether I am in the game or not."

Thea sighs as she lays her back against the kitchen counter. "Now that we know the trial will be held in Aperion, I'm even happier you forfeited. You cannot get caught, Cer," she murmurs.

"I would have been careful." He purses his lips. "We have not been caught so far. It is not hard to blend in as long as we do not use our abilities."

"I won't risk it." She shakes her head, reaching out to take his hand.

"You are that worried about me?" he inquires softly. "So much so that you would use your precious boon?"

A light smile appears on her face as she squeezes his hand.

"You protect me, I protect you. That's how it will always be."

They stare at each other in silence for a moment before Thea clears her throat.

"At least Ze had the decency to leave, too. I didn't think he'd ever do that of his own volition," she mentions drily.

"I was surprised about that, too." I sigh. In a way, I'm happy he won't be around since I already decided that I didn't want to be around him. At the same time, I'm still a little disappointed. "Do you think we'll manage by ourselves?" I ask, a little scared by the upcoming game. And to top that off, we don't even know what it will entail.

"Don't worry about it, Luce. We'll manage just fine." She gives me a smile. But as she turns to her brother, a frown mars her features. "I'm confused about something, though. Wasn't Aperion off-limits for the game?"

"It used to be. After the disaster of the first Wishing Game, it was decreed that Aperion was off-limits for any future competition." He nods.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"The first Wishing Game was held entirely in Aperion, but each trial was in a different House," he explains. "One man made it to the end, but it was revealed he was a deity who had just come into his powers but did not know how to use them. He almost destroyed Aperion."

Thea frowns. "Is that where they say seven out of fifteen Supremes were killed in one day? But how is it that a young deity would have that type of power? To kill one Supreme is unheard of, but seven? That's impossible."

"It's a legend, Thea. I doubt he killed seven Supremes by himself," Cer adds drily. "You know those things can get blown out of proportion."

"Um, what is a Supreme?"

Thea and Cer both look at me as if they just realized I'm still around.

"Oh, right. I forget you're not used to this." She chuckles. "But now that we're heading to Aperion, you should probably know it," she says as she gets a confirmation glance from Cer. "There are fifteen royal houses in Aperion. Each House is a realm, with its own monarchs, military, and people. But from each realm, the most powerful individual is chosen to become a Supreme. Well, almost." She pauses. "There are two Houses that are the exception to the rule." She doesn't expand further. "But the most important thing is that the fifteen Supremes are the ultimate force on Aperion, and they rule overeveryone."

"That sounds interesting." I nod thoughtfully. It's almost as if all the mythology I'd read in books is one step away from becoming a reality. Despite my precarious situation in the game, I can't deny that I'm giddy about what's to come and exploring the unknown.

"It might be, but not for us," Thea adds dramatically.

"Why?" I frown.

Her lips compress in a tight line as she sighs. Cer has a similar expression.

"Aperion is our home."

"But... Didn't you say you were from a place called Arche?" I frown.

"That is the House of Arche, within Aperion," she adds sheepishly.

"Oh," I whisper.

"And since the third trial starts in a month, I think we're due a visit home, Cer."

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