Chapter 339: The Final Act Of Love
[Music recommendation: Elijah Siegler - All the places I will never go]
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Eve’s chest tightened, and her throat constricted at the sight of him. Her ever eccentric and strong brother lay in such a state.
Guilt, grief, and pain were the three emotions that dominated her insides as she stared at Damien.
Guilt was the strongest because Eve blamed herself for Damien being in such a position in the first place.
Had she been more careful when she was fighting those Nocthrax, Damien would never have been infected or ended up this way.
It had become painfully clear to her that the attack on the academy happened because she was there. They had come for her. They had planned all of this just to get to her, and she would never forgive herself if her dear brother died because of her.
Though they were not bound by blood, Damien was still her brother in every way that mattered. He has always been there for her since the very first day she had met him at the academy. And now she stood ready to walk into the flames for him, even if it meant this would be the final act of love she could ever offer.
Taking slow, steady steps towards him, she stopped only a step away.
Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she looked at him.
Then her mother’s voice echoed within her mind.
’Make me proud, my dearest daughter. I am always watching over you.’
Her eyes closed to gather her bearings, and again she found only one man with molten red eyes standing in front of her.
In her mind, he was staring at her, but this time his eyes were screaming with anguish and desperation. All they seemed to tell her, ’Don’t! Don’t do it, Eve!’
’Forgive me.... my love. But I have to.... I have no choice but to do this,’ she continued to speak to him in her heart.
’Will you leave me? Are you going to leave me again after everything we have been through?’ His voice echoed in her head, and she felt as if her heart were bleeding from an infinite number of cuts.
’I will always love you... only you.’ Her entire being resonated with those words.
Then she opened her eyes, and even though she could feel Ivan screaming in her mind, begging her not to do what she was about to do, she had already made up her mind.
She had steeled her heart despite the fact that it continued to bleed, for this was her responsibility.
It was a task her mother had entrusted to her, and even now, she could feel that divine warmth seeping into the very depths of her soul. It was as if the Goddess had breathed life into her just by speaking, and Evelyn was holding onto that warmth in order to take this final step.
Releasing a shaky breath, she turned her head over her shoulder and spoke in a low voice. "Release the binders."
Selene stood directly behind her and hissed, "Remember, princess, one wrong move, and it will all be over for him."
"You do not have to remind me," Evelyn replied calmly.
Selene observed Evelyn one last time before she took several steps back, along with the rest of the guards. She knew that if they came into direct contact with Evelyn’s pure light magic, it would be the end of them.
She raised her hands, and thick, dark smoke curled around her fingers. The smoke seeped into the ground before a dark barrier erupted in front of her and the Darkrots standing closely behind.
Then her sharp voice echoed through the chamber. "Evelyn, I am warning you now. Should you try anything more than curing him, I promise I will end him. Do not think for a moment that you will be able to walk away from this place with him afterwards."
Evelyn remained silent for a heartbeat before she said calmly, "The binders, Zafira."
Zafira’s eyes darkened until the whites were completely swallowed by shadows. With another flick of her hand, a metallic click echoed through the room. The omega signs on the binders shone a deep red before they finally unlocked and fell to the ground.
As soon as she did, Evelyn’s suppressed powers hummed and surged through her veins, as though awakening after being shackled for far too long.
Though her body remained terribly weakened, she did not hesitate.
She stepped forward and placed both hands upon the crimson cast that had kept Damien imprisoned.
"Now, be free... brother," Eve whispered.
Her eyes flared a brilliant gold, and her body thrummed with power as she closed her eyes in deep concentration.
While Evelyn channeled every ounce of her strength, Selene discreetly opened a portal behind herself as a precaution, prepared to retreat should events spiral beyond her control. Her gaze remained fixed upon the woman before her as golden light began to radiate from Evelyn’s entire form.
The crimson cast beneath Evelyn’s hands began to fracture under the force of her power. Cracks spread rapidly across its surface until, all at once, it shattered completely, sending sharp shards flying outward from the violent impact.
The shards cut into Eve’s arms, her cheek, and her shoulder, but she did not care. She seized that very moment to place her hands directly on Damien’s chest.
The light emitting from her grew even brighter, causing eleven luminous rings of magic to stack one after another above them. Suddenly, a pillar of pure golden light cut through the circles and enveloped both Damien and Evelyn at once.
The phenomenon was so extraordinary that the onlookers felt pure fear creep into their spines at the display of Evelyn’s power as the entire abandoned castle shook from the impact.
Ivan and the others, who were still fighting through the sea of pouring Darkrots, saw the golden beam and the magical circles forming high above the mountain, and Ivan’s breathing hitched.
Only one name escaped his lips.
"Evelyn."
A sense of dark premonition clawed at his chest, and he began to fight more aggressively, as if something were telling him he had to reach her as soon as possible.
Back in the chamber, once Evelyn had completed the process of fully purifying the corruption that had begun to rapidly spread towards Damien’s heart after she shattered the cast, it finally vanished.
He did not awaken but remained unconscious.
Evelyn opened her eyes and looked at him, seeing that his skin was now completely clear of any sign of corruption, and his complexion had begun to improve.
As the light from the magical circles slowly faded, Evelyn began to pant heavily. Before she could steady herself, she lurched to the side and coughed up blood from her mouth and nose.
Her vision blurred, and her body swayed. She knew that purifying corruption was an immensely powerful spell, one that drained whatever strength she had left. Yet she also understood that she could not falter now.
She had to act fast before they moved to bind her again. Just as the magic ebbed slightly within her, the Darkrots stepped out from behind Selene’s barrier and began to move.
Before they could take another step toward her, Evelyn moved to stand in front of Damien and erected a powerful barrier.
It did not surround her, but protected Damien alone. Simultaneously, she raised her hand and blasted the nearest Darkrots, disintegrating them into sizzling puddles of black goo.
Selene’s eyes narrowed, and she hissed, "What do you think you are doing, Evelyn!"
"Something I am supposed to do... something I was born to do, you witch," Evelyn spat.
She coughed up blood again, her chest heaving as she struggled for air. Pain tore through every single bone in her body due to the overexertion. Her body was screaming at the brink of destruction, and she finally sank to her knees.
Placing both her palms on the cold floor, a massive golden magic circle began to form, filled with ancient divine runes. Blood continued to pour from her nose and mouth, staining the floor, but she did not stop.
Selene stood there, shocked as realization finally hit her regarding what Evelyn was about to do.
"I warned you there would be consequences if you dared!" she screamed, hurling a surge of dark magic towards Damien.
Just as the attack struck the golden barrier Evelyn had formed, it rebounded instantly. The force ricocheted back at Selene, slamming into her with brutal impact and sending her crashing against the wall. The stone behind her fractured, cracks splintering outward from the point of collision.
Making her fall unconscious momentarily for several seconds.
A faint smile touched Eve’s lips as she watched the vile woman in that state.
Using that brief opportunity, Evelyn began to glow even brighter. She expanded the circle until it began to spread across the colossal structure that housed all the evil in one place.
She was determined to wipe them off the face of the planet and to take down every single one of them along with herself.
She knew she would not survive this. She knew she had to make this sacrifice for the sake of the world and her loved ones.
’Oh Goddess, give me strength,’ she thought through the pain as she continued to channel her powers to the maximum of her capacity. The ground shook with the force of her magic, and her body trembled on the verge of collapse, but she did not stop.
Alone in the chamber with Selene knocked out and Damien still unconscious, she let out a broken, breathy chuckle. "At least Damien will survive this. I will make sure of it," she thought.
