Chapter 359: Rise From The Ashes
[Music recommendation: R. Armando Morabito - Angel (Official Audio) ft. Julie Elven]
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It was as if time had come to a standstill.
The dark clouds that loomed over the land like a harbinger of death felt the instant change in the air, as though heaven itself were holding its breath.
It was a moment that could go either way.
A moment that would lead to either the total destruction of the world or the breath of life returning to a world choked by darkness.
Ivan lunged, inching closer to Evelyn’s free-falling body as a cold, paralysing dread seized his chest.
In that fractured second, with Azrath’s grotesque tentacles that were mere inches away from his beloved, an impossible sound cut through the roar of the battlefield.
Thump!
His eyes, locked with singular intensity on Evelyn’s pale form, widened.
His own dead heart shuddered at that one faint, miraculous pulse.
But before he could even grasp the truth.... before he could distinguish between a miracle and a trick of his desperate imagination, the inevitable struck with brutal finality.
Azrath’s tentacles tore through the air, piercing Evelyn’s body before Ivan could reach her. He watched in frozen horror as the dark tentacles impaled her leg, her shoulder, and her stomach.
And the world went silent....the air grew cold, and in the hollow where Ivan’s soul used to be, he saw nothing but a blinding, murderous red.
Ivan halted in his tracks before a primal, agonised scream erupted from his throat, joined by his dragon’s deafening roar.
A massive, orange magic circle appeared beneath Ivan. It began to rotate with a low, heavy hum, looking like a wheel of destruction set in motion to bring the world to its final end.
At that moment, every soul on the battlefield was pulled away from their own struggle, their eyes fixed on the scene unfolding in the sky.
Ivan’s arms were spread wide at his sides, his eyes fixed on the heavens as the wind whipped his hair around his face. Fire began to leak from his very skin, pouring out of him as if his body could no longer contain the sheer magnitude of his power.
Behind him, Kai hovered like a god of ruin. The dragon opened his massive jaws and breathed a pillar of fire into the sky.
Everything began to crumble as the magic circle expanded, its edges swallowing the air itself as it spread outward. Then, the sky began to split open, and tornadoes of fire descended from every direction, and every heart on the ground gripped in utter horror.
"Ivan..." Iskara whispered.
His eyes moved from his son to the catalyst of his fury.
Iskara’s breath got caught in his throat as he saw the demon prince, Azrath, with multiple tentacles impaled through a woman’s body. His eyes widened further as he recognised her as none other than Evelyn.
The same shock spread across every face present, and a single question echoed through their minds.
’Is this the end of the world?’
While everyone’s gaze remained fixed on Ivan, Septimus’s wide silver eyes were locked on Evelyn’s pierced form, impaled by the demon lord’s tentacles. He saw how Azrath wore a disturbing, triumphant grin, as though victory was already his.
But then something changed.
Azrath’s victorious grin faltered as he looked down at his own chest and noticed that the core, which had fused with Evelyn’s blood, began to fluctuate violently.
It was then he realised his own tentacles, which were still embedded in Evelyn’s body, had become a medium to drain that pulsing red energy back into her body.
"Wait! What is happening!" For the first time since his revival, Azrath felt fear and panic grip his heart.
He tried to instantly retract his tentacles to break their connection, but it seemed that some unknown force refused to separate them from her body.
As the seconds passed, the pull became more aggressive. A painful scream erupted from the demon prince as his crimson core shattered into a line of divine runes. The runes began to swirl around Evelyn’s body before diving into her, where they started appearing across her skin, etched in a brilliant golden shine.
Goosebumps began appearing on every onlooker as they saw the familiar golden glow that many of them had seen in the past begin to expand like a sun that had finally begun to grace the corrupted land, as if to cleanse it.
Solan, who had been on the ground while blocking Selene’s sword, pressing down on top of him, froze when he saw the familiar energy that began lighting up the sky apart from Ivan’s fire. Selene was the same as she continued to watch in horror at what was happening to Lord Azrath and Evelyn’s body.
Damien, Cece, Edward, Iskara, Dante, Seira, Regulus, Septimus, Alex, and Caleb all felt a shudder run through them as they stared at the golden glow. Nobody dared to breathe or even blink, in fear of missing what was happening in front of their very eyes.
A single thought ignited in their broken hearts.
Was this a sign?
A sign that Evelyn was... but they dared not say it.
They couldn’t risk the hope crushing them all over again after the news of her death.
Silence stretched across the land.
Every creature on the battlefield halted, their senses and focus fixed on the Dark Lord Azrath. He continued to scream, a guttural sound of agony as he tried in vain to rip his tentacles away. But it was a lost cause.
The crimson energy of Evelyn’s stolen blood continued to be pulled back to its rightful owner until her entire body was covered in glowing golden runes.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her body began to pulse with a violent golden energy until a massive blast erupted from within her.
The force threw Azrath backwards through the air, sending him crashing into the side of another volcano.
But nobody cared what happened to him as their eyes continued to remain fixed on the massive golden sun that seemed to be descending from the sky, until something suddenly shot up into the air and a beautiful, familiar screech echoed across the land.
Massive golden wings spread out in the air, and they saw with their very own eyes a golden phoenix that emitted such force that it sent shockwaves across the sky, causing the heavy dark clouds to dissipate at once, only to be replaced by a clear night sky filled with infinite stars and a massive moon that began to change from crimson back to gold.
Tears began to well up in every person’s eyes at the sight of the divine phoenix. Then, as their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they finally saw a small figure floating right in front of the phoenix.
Her hair was no longer dark brown, but instead bled into a brilliant gold, as if woven from the sun itself. The skin that had been pierced and injured began to close, healing every wound perfectly. The tattered, dark blue attire she had worn since her captivity transformed into a beautiful, flowy, sleeveless white gown with a V-neck. The dress was tied at the neck, leaving her back partially exposed. A beautiful trail of white fabric billowed gracefully in the wind from the small of her back.
Ancient divine runes continued to spread across her milky skin. Finally, the lifeless pallor of her ethereal face disappeared completely, replaced by a radiant glow that surrounded her entire body.
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, which had remained closed since the moment she was first seen in Ivan’s arms.
They shone like two beautiful suns, and the phoenix flapped its massive wings behind her, screeching once more as if announcing a rise from the ashes.
It was the return of Solaira, or as she is now known to the world, as Evelyn Lumaeth Starforged.
"Oh my..." Cece, already weeping at the sight, covered her mouth with trembling hands and staggered back. Edward immediately wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his own eyes teary as he stared at the goddess before them.
Damien’s entire being trembled with a flood of emotion, and he felt tears fill his eyes. A slight, knowing smile graced his lips as he whispered, "She’s back."
And just as most of them had anticipated, Evelyn, who looked completely different with her hair turned entirely golden, turned her eyes straight to the only man who mattered the most to her.
As if he were the very centre of her gravity, she began to move toward him.... the love of all her lives.
Her soul bled to see him in such a devastating state when he was literally the entire world to her.
Tears streamed down her beautiful face as she stopped a short distance from Ivan while he remained oblivious to everything, lost in a void of fury, while his dragon continued to roar. The beast’s flames continued to create such destructive fire tornadoes that were already causing chaos in every kingdom on the planet.
It was true through.... from Zareth to the furthest reaches of Versailles, Luminear, Dartmouth, and Roseville, fire was everywhere, throwing the people into a state of absolute panic.
Such was the raw power of a celestial being.
