Chapter 350: The Ghost Of A Golden Age
[Music recommendation: Jessie Marcella - Sanctum]
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Taking a deep, shaky breath, Solaira finally closed her eyes.
With a sudden, painful flash, she snapped them open again and cried out in distress, "Mother!"
Theia reached forward and wrapped her warm hands around Solaira’s, encouraging her gently. "Do not fear the pain, Solaira. Face it. You are much stronger than that, and remember, you are not alone. I will be there with you every step of the way."
Solaira nodded and closed her eyes once again. As she did, the hard walls she had built around her mind began to collapse. With every wall she let down, memories began to flood into her head.
Her grip tightened around Theia, yet the goddess never pulled back. She stayed right there in front of her daughter. Her golden gaze took in Solaira’s features lovingly, as if she were memorising every detail.
There was a hint of loneliness in the goddess’s eyes. A part of her wanted to simply take her daughter away from all of this now that they were finally together.
However, a part of her already knew what her daughter desired the most.
As a mother, she did not have the heart to take that away from her, especially not after Solaira had suffered in the land of the void without him for so long.
As time passed, Solaira’s breathing became uneven, and her tears refused to stop.
When she finally opened her eyes again, Theia reached out to wipe her daughter’s tears. With a single look into Solaira’s eyes, Theia gave her a sad, knowing smile.
"So, I see you have finally made up your mind... my daughter?"
"I... I..." Before Solaira could say anything more, Theia pulled her into a final embrace.
"Shhh. You do not need to explain. I already know, my daughter. Just let this mother hold you one last time."
"Oh, mother," Solaira whispered. She cried harder as she clung to her, feeling her mother’s warmth and the gentle touch of her hand against her hair.
Soon, Solaira’s entire body began to glow with a golden light. Small specks of gold shimmered around her like sparkles.
"It is time, my dearest daughter. It is time to reap the reward for the sacrifice you have made for this world over and over again," Theia murmured. She pulled back slightly to rest her forehead against Solaira’s.
"I will always love you and watch over you," Theia said in her ethereal voice.
"And I will always love you, mother. Please, watch how your daughter makes you proud." Solaira smiled, holding her mother’s hands tightly. Theia gave her one final, brilliant smile.
Then Solaira’s body began to glow brighter and brighter, her form flickered before slowly dissolving into countless shimmering golden orbs that drifted gently upward into the air.
Just as she finally disappeared, a lone tear slipped from the goddess’s eyes. Theia slowly rose to her feet, her gaze still fixed on the place where her daughter’s soul had vanished.
From afar, her beautiful figure looked both sad and lonely.
But then the air shifted.
Heat began to rise within the otherwise undisturbed realm. Flames swirled behind her as a powerful divine presence made itself known.
"Well, that is a surprise. I never expected to see tears escape the fearsome goddess’s eyes." A deep, masculine voice echoed from behind her.
Theia discreetly wiped away the lone tear before glancing over her shoulder.
"Vulcan."
The handsome man smiled, his molten orange eyes glowing as he stepped beside her to stare at the lake.
"You know," he remarked casually, "if you felt so bad about letting her go, perhaps you should have allowed her to stay with you instead."
Theia sighed. "She would not have wanted that. After all, I am her mother, and I know where her heart is. I know where it has always been."
She then glanced at him through her side-eye and asked, "Should you not be worried about your son down there?"
"My son?" The god of fire chuckled. "Oh, I am sure he has not had his fill of burning those who think they have already won. After all, it is my fire that flows through his veins."
"But are you not worried that he may destroy the world of the living completely?" the goddess asked.
"I am not worried, because the reason for him to stay sane is already on her way. Besides, I would prefer some destruction before she arrives. It will be incredibly satisfying to watch those fools burn at the hands of the son of the god of fire, especially after they have underestimated him so greatly."
Theia released another sigh, shaking her head.
She knew all too well how much the father and son were alike.
Looking up at the sky once more, she could only hope that it all goes well in the end, for she knew that what her daughter had set out to do would be anything but easy.
....
Back in the land of the living, shocked gasps echoed from Ivan’s group as the dust finally settled.
It revealed a figure shrouded in dark, ancient attire. A black robe billowed in the wind behind him, and a crimson barrier buzzed around his form, providing a telltale sign of what had protected him from the dragon’s powerful breath attack.
As more of the dust cleared, the group took in the man’s otherworldly, sharp features. He was tall, with a strong, toned physique and long black hair. His eyes remained closed as he took a long breath and released a slow sigh.
"Ah. Finally, the air of the living once again." His deep, sinister voice cut through the silence.
He ran his hands through his hair before finally opening his eyes, which were a piercing light grey.
Lazily, he looked around as if he had all the time in the world, appearing entirely unbothered by the fact that he had just been struck by a dragon’s divine fire.
His ominous gaze moved across the destruction, seemingly relishing the carnage before settling on Ivan’s group.
He paused for a brief moment as he took in the new faces.
A slow, small smirk formed on his face when he noticed the light barrier protecting them.
This made a shiver run down everyone’s spines as their minds screamed with alarm. Their every instinct told them he was incredibly dangerous.
Then, without warning, he raised his hand and blasted a wave of pure dark magic toward them.
"F*ck!" A curse left Damien’s lips as he saw the attack coming their way, and they were not fast enough to avoid it.
But something moved just as quickly before the magic could reach them.
With incredible force, the man’s attack was blasted away.
Another shockwave erupted from the collision of two massive powers.
The stranger’s grey eyes widened in surprise as he peered through the debris for the person strong enough to counter his absolute power.
When his eyes fell upon a young man dressed in black, his body glowing with a powerful orange divine aura and features he could never forget, his brows rose in recognition.
The small smirk on his lips spread into a wide grin. He finally glided through the air, moving away from the mouth of the volcano, and placed his black boots on the ground.
As soon as he touched the ground, the ground hissed with something dark. The rifts that were emitting the ominous crimson light expanded even further.
"I must say, I did not expect you to be the first person I saw when I woke up from my long, deep slumber... Malakai."
As the man uttered the name, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. His glowing grey eyes, which seemed capable of sucking the soul from a body, spotted an unfamiliar woman.
She moved toward him with slow, careful steps before dropping to her knees in a deep bow, "Greetings, Lord Azrath. I am so glad that you are finally awake," she said.
Just as the woman finally came into view, Edward and Oliver, both noble Lumens, noticed her on the battlefield, bowing before the man named Azrath. It felt as though their world had suddenly tilted upside down when they recognised the face of their late queen.
Their heart rates spiked alarmingly as they continued staring at the woman, sheer disbelief written across their faces.
The vampires around them noticed the sudden change in their heartbeats, and Cece leaned towards Edward and asked, "What’s wrong? Do you know her?"
Edward gasped, "That can’t be..."
"Our late Queen Selene..." Oliver finished the sentence in a low, incredulous voice.
Every single head snapped toward them in shock before their gazes moved in unison back to the woman kneeling before the ominous man.
"What? Are you sure?" Cece asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
Edward gave a slow, shaky nod. "I could never forget her face. My family had close ties with the Queen’s lineage, and we visited her often. But how? How is this possible? I was there at her funeral. I saw her body being lowered into the grave."
"Same here..." Oliver barely managed to say, the colour drained from his face as he kept staring at her.
