Chapter 276: When The Mountain Fell Silent
"Eve! Move, now!" Ivan roared.
Without a second thought, Ivan stepped onto the serpent’s cracked skull and lurched towards Evelyn to shield her from the impending impact.
Just as he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her, and a loud, devastating blast erupted behind them, sending the serpent’s shattered remains flying in every direction.
The force of the explosion was so immense that its shockwave triggered avalanches across several nearby mountain ranges. The land quaked violently, sending waves of panic through everyone in the Palace as they struggled to balance themselves against the relentless tremors.
They watched as the snow surged downwards like a colossal tidal wave, poised to engulf everything in its destructive path.
Solan roared, "Quickly, concentrate on strengthening the barrier!"
They obeyed their king’s command without hesitation, waiting for the impact with wide eyes filled with terror.
And then...
Boom!
Snow swallowed everything in sight, forcing everyone present to shut their eyes on instinct, bracing for the blow.
Seconds passed, and all that reached their ears was the thunderous roar of crashing debris.
Slowly, Solan and the others opened their eyes.
Their surroundings were completely obscured by a thick white mist, yet the radiant white barrier encasing the castle held firm, leaving everything within it untouched.
They all let out heavy sighs of relief, but it did not last. Through the thick sheet of white snow surrounding them, something colossal slammed into the barrier wall with such force that it nearly cracked.
Shocked gasps and startled yelps rippled through the crowd as they stared wide-eyed at what had truly struck the barrier.
The massive black shape then slid down the barrier wall before crashing to the ground, separating the palace from the mountain with another deafening impact.
"By the gods! Just what was that?!" one of the knights rasped in absolute horror.
Silently, they waited for the thing to move, their heartbeats racing. Seconds stretched into minutes, and when nothing happened, Solan exchanged a look with Septimus, Gideon, and Roan.
All of the lumens took silent, cautious steps towards the thing. As they drew closer and the snow finally settled around them, the air lodged painfully in their lungs at the sight before them: the torn head of the most terrifying monster they had ever encountered, its mutilated features frozen in a grotesque final snarl.
Septimus let out a sharp gasp and instantly raised a hand, signalling the others to halt.
Solan’s eyes snapped to him. "What is it, Septimus?"
Shock was etched across his face before it hardened into something grim. Turning his silver eyes to Solan, he answered, "This....this is no ordinary creature. I cannot believe my eyes."
"Do not keep us in suspense, High Priest Septimus," Roan urged, his expression dark.
Septimus’s gaze drifted back to the severed head, studying it once more before he spoke. "This creature is none other than Azrathul, an ancient colossal serpent from Hell."
A collective gasp rippled through the air at his words.
"What? How could it....be?" Gideon rasped in horror, his eyes returning to the monstrous remains.
"I have only read about them in ancient texts," Septimus continued.
"There was a brief mention in our history that they existed during the Great War of Ruins. Yet I also know that they vanished from the face of this world, never to be seen again after the war was won. So....how could one still exist here? And why..." His eyes drifted back towards the mountain. "...why here, in Luminear of all places?"
Solan’s gaze followed his, settling on the distant peaks. His voice was tight as he spoke. "We need to investigate this immediately. We are going up there. I must ensure that my wife’s grave remains undisturbed."
That statement alone alarmed the other three men.
"It is still dangerous, Your Majesty!" they protested in unison.
"So what?" Solan snapped. "If there is danger looming over our kingdom, we cannot sit idle and do nothing. I need to see with my own eyes exactly what is happening up there."
With that, he turned away and barked orders for the horses to be prepared at once.
Back on the mountain peak, as the snow began to settle after nature’s devastating display of an avalanche, a golden sphere slowly came into view. A closer look revealed two figures still levitating mid-air, wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace.
As the sound around them quietened, Ivan slowly opened his molten orange eyes, greeted by the sight of a vast golden sphere surrounding them. He knew at once that it had been conjured by none other than the woman he held closely in his arms.
Gradually, he felt her fingers brush against his strong back in a soothing caress. Her face remained buried against his chest, her breathing slightly uneven.
Ivan gently pulled back just enough for her to lift her beautiful face, still glowing like a star that was slowly ebbing into a softer light. He raised one hand to touch her cheek and asked softly, "Are you okay?"
Eve gave him a reassuring nod, making no effort to pull away.
Ivan’s eyes scanned her quickly before he let out a breath of relief.
Before either of them could say anything, they crashed their lips together in a searing kiss, as though pouring all their fear and worry into that deep, all-consuming contact.
In that moment, they forgot everything else, where they were and what had just happened. All that mattered was feeling each other, grounding themselves in one another’s presence. Their hands traced familiar paths, as if trying to memorise the shape of each other all over again.
Their tongues met in a slow, rhythmic dance, their mouths moving desperately against each other until Eve let out a soft moan as he sucked gently on her lower lip before finally pulling back, giving them both a chance to breathe.
Ivan drew her back into his embrace, and she clung to him weakly as she struggled to catch her breath, resting her head against his neck.
He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead and whispered, "You scared me a little back there."
Eve hummed softly, still breathless, before replying, "There was no way I was going to let you take the full force of that destructive impact."
Raising her head to look at him, she murmured, "I’ll always protect you, just like you protect me." She caressed his cheek, and Ivan could only lean into her loving touch before turning slightly to kiss her palm.
A small smile bloomed on her face at his action. But as soon as it came, it slowly started to fade as her thoughts began to catch up with everything that had happened.
Ivan noticed it immediately.
Wordlessly, he gathered her back into his arms and used his powers to lower them until their feet touched the ground once more.
As soon as they did, their eyes took in the destruction surrounding them.
The weather had fallen into a strange silence. The icy wind that had howled when they arrived was gone, and the sky was clear of any sign of dark clouds, as though they had never been there at all. An orange and pink hue painted the now-clear sky, announcing the onset of evening.
On their side of the mountain, where the serpent had once stood, there was now only a gaping crater, a stark reminder of the fierce battle that had taken place. The surrounding trees had been uprooted and blasted away, leaving the ground practically barren, covered only in snow.
Fragments of the serpent’s obsidian body still lay scattered across the white surface, and before they could fully process it, they watched as those remnants slowly began to crumble into dust, carried away by the light evening breeze.
As Ivan stood there watching it wither away, Eve let out a soft gasp. When he looked down, he saw tears welling in her eyes as she began to move forward. Ivan followed closely, fully alert, prepared for the possibility of another threat.
Soon, they reached the place where a beautiful white pergola had once stood, sheltering Eve’s mother’s grave.
Up close, the damage was unmistakable. The pergola lay broken beyond recognition. The statue had been destroyed, the tombstone was shattered halfway down from the top, and as their gaze travelled lower, they saw that the marble slab covering her mother’s grave was split with deep, gaping cracks, offering a chilling glimpse of what lay beneath.
Eve’s heart raced at an alarming rate as her eyes slowly peered through the wide gaps. And as she did, only one word escaped her lips in the form of a mere whisper.
"No..."
