It was midnight. Everyone was asleep except Vierne. She couldn't sleep for two days now. And how could she? Her star spirit was dying inside every second in every breath. She stood at the balcony of the hotel room, looking at the moon. As the clock struck twelve, it began ringing.

"It's just nine days left now." The books didn't help. They didn't talk about how Wujin was possessed—It was all just what Melissa had told her and Vierne was not satisfied with it. Besides, Lict took back the books from her and asked her to not think about it anymore. Maks didn't help her with it either. It seemed like nobody cared that they were running out of time.

She wondered what could help now. Then, she remembered that there was a separate book for curses! The Gate—It could help her! But she knew that Lict won't be ready to give the book to her and nor would Maks because they all asked her to let it go. But she didn't care if she had to fight a bit of blight. Her determination to save Lict was as strong as the first day. And she would never give up on him like everyone else. She needed someone who wasn't very close to Lict and would be ready to give the Gate to her. And the first face that came in her mind made her praise her own intelligence.

She decided to leave immediately and come back before dawn so that nobody knew she had left. She draped a coat and quietly stepped out of her room. Everyone was asleep and walked down the lobby. The receptionist was working a night shift. She walked out of the hotel and ran out. She walked in the snow which reached till her ankles. The snow felt cold, even through the boots. The streets were empty and dark. Once Vierne was far away from the hotel, she closed her eyes and tried to sense the spirit energy. She felt spirit energy in two directions—The direction she had come from and the direction she wanted to go. She followed the spirit energy and soon reached a huge manor house.

"He is rich," She didn't expect this. Guards stood at the front door so she decided to do it the illegal way. She slowly got on a wall and jumped inside the garden. Evgeni opened his eyes and got up. Lobelia slept beside him. She got up as soon as he did, "What happened, Milord?"
"There's a sudden increase in spirit energy. There's an invader."
She got up, "Fetch me my clothes," He ordered.
"Yes, Milord,"

Vierne hid from the guards and walked inside the manor house. She got on a tree, 'The spirit energy is strong on this side of the manor house. He must have a room around here.'
"Oh, lady demigod." She heard and looked down. Lobelia stood below the tree, "Why make the effort to visit us this late at night?" Her eyes were glowing silver. Vierne jumped down from the tree.

"Lobelia, I'm here for some help."
"Help?" Her eyes stopped glowing.
"Do you have the Gate?" She asked. Lobelia first looked at her in disbelief and then laughed,
"What's so funny?" Viern asked.

"It's stupid," Evgeni walked towards her. He was wearing a white shirt and pyjamas with a silver chain around his neck. A blue ring was present at one end of the chain, "Why would a demigod need to summon a demon?"
"Summon demons?"
"That's all the Gate is about—Forbidden magic and the ceremonies to summon or please demons—"

"Do you have it or you don't?" Vierne interrupted him and scar pressed a dagger on her throat.
"Lady Vierne," He walked towards her and looked into her eyes, "You are asking for a favour—Not us. Talk politely or leave this instant. You're here without any defences, we can easily kill you and bury you somewhere in the land,"
"No," Vierne realised it wasn't very wise to show her pride in front of him at that moment, "I'm sorry. I need your help, please."

He looked at Lobelia and she moved her dagger away from him.
"I need to save Lict."
"You will summon a demon to save one?"
"Yes."

"If you form a contract, you will be possessed sooner or later."
Vierne looked at him, "You're possessed after forming a contract?"
"Yes," So, did Wujin form a contract too? She felt that she almost touched the answer.

"Can we talk for a while?" She asked.
"Certainly. Lobelia," Lobelia bowed and left them alone.
He sat near a huge water fountain, "I can't stand for a lot of time so I hope you don't mind if we sit and talk,"
"Of course, I don't." She sat beside him.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked.
"About a possession. I know of a demigod who got possessed."
"That's not possible unless you form a contract with a demon."
"There's no other way a demon can possess us?"

"No, because we are purification vessels so we can easily fight off demons but if we form a contract, our purification powers reduce constantly and at one point, they become so weak that the demon we have contracted can enter inside our body and take over." So, Wujin had made a contract with a demon!
"Why would a demigod form a contract with a demon?"
"There can be many personal reasons so I won't make any assumptions"

"Then, let's say that demigod becomes a gatekeeper and I kill him, what then?"
"You can't kill a gatekeeper, only their contracted star spirit can do that."
"What if their star spirit kills them?"
"It is advised never to kill someone who is possessed but exorcise him."
"Why?"

"Because if you kill a possessed being, you break that connection between his body and soul and free the demon inside him. Chances are that after that either it will go inside the killer or live freely in the human world and feed on human souls."
"Have you seen a demon?"
"No, I don't want to do anything with demons."

"What if you see one—Will you fight it?"
"I'm not an exorcist. In no world can a demigod defeat a demon without an exorcist's intervention. And that too, not just any ritual but the Nuo ritual can save your star spirit."
"What?"
"You are asking this for him, aren't you?"

"Yes," Vierne looked at the floor.
"What's so good about him that you want to save him by risking your soul?"
"I think he has suffered a lot and I want it to end."
"Then, kill him."

"No, he has only given not received any love. He can't die like this and I won't let any demon kill my star spirit. I am a purification vessel after all."
Evgeni looked ahead, "Suite yourself in that case."
Vierne smiled, "You seem to be pretty rich,"

"Oh, not really. This isn't really mine—I am adopted." Evgeni said.
"Adopted?"
"I was found buried inside the snow by my parents in Yakutsk. I was still alive so they took me home and well here I am."
"What about your illness?"
"It's something genetic."

"What's it called?"
"Haemophilia."

'I've heard this before—Didn't Prince Alexei have the same illness? Could it be that he is related to him—Again, I am thinking too much. It's not as if he was the only one who had haemophilia in the entire world.' Vierne thought and suddenly felt Evgeni's hand on hers. She looked at him, "I feel so connected with you. Do you feel the same?"
"I do," She pressed her palm on his palm and looked into his eyes, "We have the same eyes, just different colours," He said.

"I didn't notice that,"
"What do you think it might be?"
Lobelia coughed and Evgeni looked at her, "I've got the book, Milord."

"There you have it," She gave the book to Vierne. Gate was a black book and thinner than any of the twelve books, "Thank you, Evgeni. I'll leave for Moscow tomorrow. I'll make sure to return it to you before I go." She bowed and left.

"You went pretty easy on her."
"If the enemy wants to destroy themselves, I won't stop them" Evgeni crossed his arms,
'I should have stopped her.'

"Prince Alexei and Princess Anastasia are missing till date." Vierne was inside her hotel room, looking through the pictures inside her camera, "Evgeni doesn't know his real parents and has the same disorder as Prince Alexei. It is a disorder that is carried genetically. We've never met before but I still feel so connected to him—Am I what I think I am?" Finally, she stopped at the picture of the Romanov family, "The lost princess, Anastasia Nikolaevna,"

-To be continued

The Romanovs
Dear Ms Lady Demigod