Chapter 221: The Awakening
[Music recommendation: kalandramusic - Helheim (Extended)]
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Lucian watched the group forming a united wall against the High Council and let out a weary, exasperated sigh at the staggering mess the situation had devolved into.
Just as he was trying to think of the best course of action, he heard Septimus ask Zevran, "What is happening to him?"
All eyes turned back to Ivan. They watched in horror as the side of his body covered in golden dust clashed violently with the other, which was slowly transforming into something darker. His left side was turning a deep, corrupted grey, and then....his eyes snapped open.
One eye was pitch black, just like Viva’s. The other gleamed pure white, which seemed to lack a pupil altogether.
Red lightning crashed down on all four sides around him, and Ivan let out a guttural, agonised groan that tore through the air.
Zevran’s expression grew grave as he spoke. "His divine side is battling the darkness that is beginning to overwhelm him. The heavens are furious. Mortals dared to tamper with a pure divine soul. I cannot say what the outcome will be. If this continues....I fear he may be obliterated."
The trembling of the land, which had momentarily ceased, began again, far more violently this time. Cracks split across the ground in jagged lines, threatening to tear the land open and swallow everything whole. Every heart pounded in terror as they braced themselves for what might come next.
Then, on the other side, where the golden sphere had once formed, the thick curtain of dust began to slowly drift away. A sudden surge of immense power washed over them all, so potent that their skin prickled and the hairs on the back of their necks rose in instinctive fear and awe.
And then they saw it, a lone star burning not far from where the golden sphere had been. They focused their eyes on it, and their breath caught at the sight of a woman.
Her hair billowed around her like the rays of the sun, her arms lifted slightly at her sides, glowing with branching, root-like cracks of pure golden light that pulsed through her skin as though no blood flowed in her veins....only magic. Her head was thrown back, eyes closed, her dress whipping violently in the wind and revealing a smooth leg beneath the swirling fabric.
But most striking of all was the aura around her. A golden radiance so immense it seemed as though the Goddess of Light herself had descended into the mortal realm, ready to deliver divine retribution upon those who had dared wrong her.
The golden restraining bracelet that had rested on her hand, and the hairpin struck against her thigh, had long since melted under the sheer weight of the power she released. The dark clouds churning around her began to split apart as a fierce golden beam tore through the sky and struck Evelyn’s levitating form directly.
As the heavens cleared, the moon that was once hidden behind the dense shadows slid back into view.
Solan and Septimus both sucked in a sharp breath, for the moon was no longer white; it gleamed gold. Exactly as it had on the night Evelyn was born.
Then, before their astonished eyes, the massive golden beam surrounding Evelyn twisted and reformed.....shaping itself into a colossal phoenix of light. Its wings unfurled with blinding splendour, and it unleashed a piercing, furious screech that reverberated through the land, sending shivers rippling down every spine present.
"She is angry..." Zevran murmured, his voice low and echoing like a warning carried on the wind. "...and she has every right to be. Mortals dared to harm her one and only mate. If we lose him today, I would not be surprised if she burns this world to ash."
Solan tore his shocked eyes away from the massive golden phoenix and turned to Zevran’s apparition. "Mate? Who?" he asked, even though dread already coiled in his chest at what the answer might be.
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[Music Recommendation: Kalandra - Borders]
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"It is no one but him, of course....the one whose soul is being tainted by evil," Zevran replied, his eyes never once left the rising phoenix, which let out another piercing, wrathful screech before its massive golden wings unfurled to their full span, Evelyn standing at its heart as though the wings were her own.
She stood there, radiant and terrifying all at once, and the sight was nothing short of breathtaking. The wings flapped once more before shattering into a burst of golden dust.
Ivan let out another agonised scream, and the cracks began to split across his body as though he had reached his absolute limit. Red lightning crackled violently around him, each strike more vicious than the last.
Then, her head that was once thrown back snapped forward sharply as if she had heard him across the chaos. Evelyn’s eyes flew open, glowing a fierce, molten gold as they locked directly onto one point....onto him.
Her expression was unnervingly still, like the surface of a lake moments before a storm breaks.
Under the golden moon, she shot forward like pure golden lightning, closing the distance between them in an instant until she stood directly before him. Up close, it was clear he was undergoing some form of metamorphosis, suspended between divinity and corruption.
Cece, Septimus, Alex, Caleb, Oliver, Solan and everyone present held their breath as they watched the scene unfold before them. At that exact moment, Damien and Edward landed on the shattered roof where the others stood and quietly moved to Cece’s side.
No one moved or uttered a word as they watched Evelyn, utterly calm as she let her eyes soften while she traced his every feature, as though seeing him again after thousands of years. And as if sensing her presence, even while feeling as though he were tearing apart, he managed to move with great difficulty, trying to take in her divine form one last time through his obscured vision.
Eve’s eyes brimmed with tears before a lone drop slid from her cheek and fell to the ground. She raised her hands slowly and caressed both sides of his cheeks with such tenderness that the shocked onlookers, who clearly heard the skip in Ivan’s racing heartbeat, even in this state.
Eve then leaned forward and whispered, "Forgive me... for being so late... my love."
A strained, broken sound escaped Ivan’s throat. "Sol...ai...ra..."
"Yes... it’s time you wake up.....Malakai," Eve whispered as she tenderly caressed his cheek once more. Then she closed the distance between them, capturing his lips with her own.
The moment their lips met, a powerful burst of golden light erupted from her. Eleven luminous rings of magic spiralled into existence above them, appearing one after another, stacking in perfect alignment before another towering golden beam descended from the sky in between the rings to engulf them both entirely.
The sky that had been raging suddenly rumbled, and before anyone could comprehend it, everything began to settle, revealing countless stars that had been hidden by the dense, dark clouds.
Ivan, who had felt as though he were plunging into madness with no sight and no escape, sensed a heavy weight lifting from him. The dark serpent gripping his heart and soul began to uncoil as pure light seeped into his hazy mind, slowly pulling him back to consciousness.
The dark corruption coating his skin grew fainter and fainter until it vanished completely, as if nothing had ever touched him. At last, his own divine powers that were suppressed by the rot twisting within him....the raging inferno that had turned cold and hollow, surged back with full force. His eyes, once clouded in blank white and black, sharpened bit by bit until his mesmerising molten red gaze returned.
That was when he was able to see his surroundings once more, and the first thing he felt was her warmth washing over him. She kept her lips pressed to his, her eyes closed, as though breathing life back into him and cleansing him of every impurity that had dared to corrupt him in the first place.
As he felt her mouth against his, memories long buried by fate... by the cruel punishment of the gods... began to surge through his now-clear mind. Flashes of moments he had once lost came rushing back, unfolding in his thoughts as though he were living them all over again.
The first time he laid eyes on a beautiful maiden with golden hair and eyes that shone like the bright sun. The first time she smiled at him, the first time he kissed her with such reverence, the first time he held her completely in his arms...the first time he confessed the heartfelt love he bore for the woman who had stolen his heart in the most unexpected way.
They had fought the never-ending war together... they had lived together in another lifetime. Though they were created and sent by the gods to the land of the living to defeat the Dark Lord, it was only when they found each other that they truly understood their purpose.....living and breathing solely for one another. They were meant to fall in love, because in Ivan’s eyes, there could never have been any other way.
