Chapter 342: A Silence Louder Than Thunder
[Music recommendation: Climb Together - Audiomachine]
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The extreme anxiety and unease he felt, along with the sensation of her calling out to him again, jolted his entire being. Never in his life had Ivan experienced such a level of fear.
For some time, he had fought to slice through the surging crowd of Darkrots. They were effectively blocking the way every time he and the others neared the portal, acting as if they had anticipated their arrival after the golden magical ring appeared on the mountain.
Just as he closed in on the opening of the portal, his eyes darted to the others. They were his responsibility, having risked their lives to join him on this dangerous rescue mission.
As he shifted his gaze, he saw that Edward was about to be stabbed from behind while he and Cece were near the portal. Caleb was busy holding back one side of the outpouring crowd. Ivan raised his hand and launched a ball of fire to incinerate the sneaky Darkrot behind Edward.
When his eyes shifted to Dante’s group, he saw they were also being surrounded by an overwhelming number of enemies. Ivan felt conflicted, torn between pushing ahead or helping them before he moved on.
Even though every cell in his body was screaming at him to go ahead and leave them all behind, he could not leave them alone. But somewhere deep within him, he cared for them. They were his people, and they were here risking their lives for him, and he began fighting with renewed ferocity to clear their path.
As the battle continued, the darkness felt heavier than before until everyone saw the thick clouds churning and the barrage of red lightning up above.
"Ivan! We need to hurry!" Cece screamed from her position.
Just as Ivan decided he had no choice but to unleash the powers he had been preserving for the stronger enemies above, a thick white beam pierced through the crowd, killing the enemies on the spot.
They all turned to see that it was Solan who was glowing with a white light, his hand raised in front of him. It was clear that he had unleashed his powers.
The reinforcements they had not expected to arrive so quickly were finally here.
Iskara’s voice boomed, "Son! Go ahead! We will handle it from here."
As Iskara spoke, multiple king’s guards and Ignis Blades joined the battle. They charged head-on, already pushing back the enemy lines.
When the path finally cleared, Ivan’s voice boomed, "Now!"
With that, every member of Ivan’s group entered the portal after blasting away the remaining enemies.
As expected, the group landed in different sections of a dilapidated castle where more enemies lay in wait.
But Ivan’s focus remained solely on one person.
Worry for her had not left his mind for even a single moment. Every passing second grated against his nerves. His heart pounded against his chest, and his senses were overpowered by the thick, palpable darkness in the air.
He and Alex fought through the enemies relentlessly. They pushed toward the location where Ivan felt a powerful magnetic pull toward Evelyn.
But right at the exit from the castle to the outside, which led to the mouth of the volcano, he was suddenly halted by the familiar man who clearly had a death wish for even daring to stop him.
Drake, who was still wearing Rowan’s mask with the lower half of his lips missing, grinned menacingly at Ivan and opened his mouth to speak. "So... you finally made it. But I’m afraid it’s already too late n-"
Before he could finish speaking, Ivan moved with lightning speed. His hand gripped the upper half of Drake’s face with one hand, and he dragged him like a weightless doll until they were close to the clearing where the altar was crumbling.
There, he spotted the person dressed in a red robe.
Ivan could only see the person’s back and realised it was a woman. Although he could not see her face, he did not need to in order to know that she was the mastermind behind all this chaos.
Without waiting a second, he threw Drake like a ragdoll towards the woman with such force that they crashed against the edge of the stony altar.
His crimson eyes, in that very second, recognised Evelyn on top of the altar. Even with a brief glimpse, he could tell it was no one else but her, and he saw her fall into the pit of lava as the structure collapsed beneath her.
He did not see or think, but moved purely on instinct. In the last second, he reached her, only to hold her and pull her away from harm’s way.
His heart was thudding wildly against his chest, and he could not calm it down even as he held her close.
Seconds passed into minutes as he continued to kneel on the ground with Eve wrapped in his arms.
As he finally held her close, he tried to ease his nerves. His breathing was harsh as he whispered, "Forgive me, baby, for being late."
Fear and unease had gripped his heart so strongly that he did not realise all the signs that would tell a person the woman he held in his arms was no longer breathing.
He kissed her hair while stroking her back and hair as he continued to whisper, "I’m here. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry."
As he repeated those words, it seemed as though he was trying to say them to himself rather than to her.
Ivan did not pay attention to anything at that time. He did not care about the volcano erupting, nor did he care about the ground trembling beneath him, or the fact that he was kneeling there at the base of the enemy, completely defenceless and exposed.
All he cared about was reassuring his Eve, and himself, that she was once again with him, in his arms.
Just as he took a deep breath to calm his racing mind, he stilled.
His entire body went rigid. He felt his heart drop as his senses finally registered the strong, intoxicating, and heavenly scent of blood filling his lungs.
It was Evelyn’s blood.
With that single realisation, he finally began to notice the small details his brain had been ignoring until now.
He felt how her body was much cooler than normal. He felt how quiet and limp she was in his arms. She was so still that he could not hear the sound of her heartbeat or the rhythm of her breathing. There was not even the slight rise and fall of her chest against him, that simple, involuntary action of life.
With that, his crimson eyes, which had been shut tightly, finally opened.
In that moment, he could have sworn his lungs and heart had stopped working until his pulse suddenly began to race alarmingly fast.
For a few seconds, he could not move, as he was afraid... too afraid of what he might find. His hands, which were holding her, began to tremble, and he felt his throat go dry.
Forcing himself, Ivan let out a whisper. "Eve?"
"Baby?"
"Why? Why are you so silent?" His grip tightened around her as he buried his face in her neck. He spoke in a desperate, hoarse voice. "Talk to me, please. I... I do not like you being so still. Please, Evelyn."
Alex, who had just dealt with a group of guards who were about to chase after Ivan when he dragged that imposter Rowan outside, finally managed to find his way there and stumbled upon the scene before him.
His gaze first shifted to the volcanic eruption that looked nothing short of apocalyptic. His sharp eyes then noticed the person in the red robe, who seemed to be groaning in pain as she tried to get Rowan off her, and then the group of people in black cloaks standing in front of the eruption.
Some were observing the phenomenon occurring before them, while others watched towards a far corner, away from the volcano, as if something interesting was happening.
Alex’s gaze moved in the direction they were staring and finally fell upon his prince kneeling on the ground with his arms wrapped protectively around the woman, whom he knew without a shadow of a doubt could only be Princess Evelyn.
At first, great relief washed over him for a few seconds. His Highness had finally managed to rescue her in time. With that thought, he took a couple of steps towards them when the wind blew, and Alex suddenly froze in his tracks.
His sharp crimson eyes slowly widened as he finally noticed how the princess hung limply against the prince.
His gaze drifted lower to see the deep burns around her lifeless hands, and then below, on the ground, was... a small pool of blood that continued to collect slowly, spreading little by little.
Alex’s heart lurched at the horrible realisation that was about to crash down on him mercilessly, but he did not move. He did not dare move... or perhaps he could not, as his hands began to shake with emotions he did not know how to deal with.
