Chapter 137: When The Light Bleeds Red
This Chapter is dedicated to Isabelle_Swan, thank you for the Super gift!<3
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[Music recommendation: Attack on Titan: Original Soundtrack I - Bonus: piano adlib]
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"Let me through."
She neither raised her voice nor sounded stern, yet something had shifted in her demeanour. The quiet command in her tone made both men pause and observe her.
Meanwhile, Aliana felt a strange thrum awaken within her body.
It started deep inside her chest before spreading through her veins like a pulse answering an invisible call. The sensation was unfamiliar, almost otherworldly, and yet it drew her towards Rose with an irresistible force.
She did not even realise what was happening to her.
Neither did she notice when her light grey eyes slowly bled into a brilliant red and began to glow.
Both men froze. Shock flashed across Cillian’s face while Gavriel’s gaze sharpened instantly, his eyes fixed on her glowing red irises, which he had witnessed before for only fleeting seconds until now.
Cillian’s hand, which had been blocking her path, slowly fell away as he stared at her in stunned silence.
With her path cleared, Aliana stepped forward into the shattered glass. She moved with an unearthly grace, closing the distance until she was standing a mere arm’s length away from her best friend’s possessed body.
Her voice came out soft and calm. "Rose."
The entity stilled instantly, her sobbing halting before she slowly raised her head to look at Aliana. The moment their gazes met, the ghost’s eyes widened in absolute shock, mirroring the disbelief of the men around them.
Aliana simply raised her hand, gently placing her palm against Jade’s pale cheek. "I’m sorry for everything you have been through," Aliana continued, her bright red eyes softening with profound empathy. "I sincerely wish that I could have helped you sooner."
Slowly, her hand slid down from the woman’s cheek, resting gently over her chest. "But I wish to end your suffering now," Aliana whispered. "I wish to set you free. Free from this cursed world, and free from everything that has been holding you back."
Aliana’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at Rose one last time. The spirit stared back at her, and the dark malice began to drain from her expression.
In a faint whisper, Aliana breathed, "Thank you... for everything."
With those final words, Aliana closed her eyes, letting a lone teardrop escape and trace down her cheek.
In that exact heartbeat, Aliana’s body erupted with a radiant, blinding white energy. The pure light surged outward from her chest, instantly enveloping Rose before expanding to engulf the entire space of the penthouse.
Outside, a massive bolt of lightning struck the sky, its flash perfectly camouflaging the beaming white light that exploded through the glass windows before the light began to retreat back to its source.
As the light finally dimmed and vanished back into Aliana’s body, she opened her eyes.
Standing before her, Jade’s limp, unconscious form collapsed in Gavriel’s arms.
But floating just beside them was the uncorrupted, beautiful soul of the real Rose. Her face was at peace as she looked at Aliana one last time, offering a gentle, grateful smile.
Rose gave her a bow and said, "Thank you for setting me free, Aliana."
Then, before anyone could say another word, her form dissolved into countless particles of pure white light. They gathered into a single glowing orb that hovered in the air for a brief moment before slowly rising upwards and fading into nothingness.
For several seconds, no one spoke or moved until Aliana suddenly swayed. The colour drained from her face, and her body visibly faltered.
"Cillian." Gavriel’s authoritative voice finally cut through the stunned silence.
Snapped out of his trance by the command, Cillian instantly stepped forward to take hold of Jade’s limp, unconscious body.
The moment his arms were free, Gavriel lunged forward. Aliana’s knees buckled, and she pitched forward, losing consciousness completely, but Gavriel caught her just in time, wrapping his strong arms securely around her fragile frame.
He stared at her unconscious form for several seconds with an unreadable look in his eyes before shifting her weight to lift her fully into his arms.
"You two take care of that one," he commanded, his cold gaze sweeping over Cillian and Nigel, who had been silently watching everything unfold by the pillar.
With that, Gavriel turned on his heel, leaving the two stunned men behind in the middle of the massive wreckage and an injured, unconscious Jade left in his wake.
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Day of the Engagement.
A week had already passed since the incident in the penthouse, leading right up to the day of the engagement. Since that chaotic night, many things had changed in the lives of everyone involved.
Due to the mess and the bitter memories left behind, Aliana had requested a change of scenery the moment she woke up from a full day of unconsciousness.
She asked Gavriel if they could move back to the Valentine Residence, as she no longer felt comfortable at Victorian Heights, a place that had once been her sanctuary.
Gavriel didn’t argue.
Their engagement was right around the corner, and there was too much work to be done. In his mind, it was far easier to have staff and coordinators come directly to the estate, knowing no evil spirits would ever dare breach his personal territory.
It was still a shock that such a breach had occurred while both Cillian and himself were on the premises.
Then again, malevolent spirits did not follow orders or think rationally. They were highly volatile and entirely unpredictable.
With Aliana’s unexplained powers now on display, Gavriel wanted her shielded.
He couldn’t risk anyone tracing the source of her magic, even with Reve watching from the shadows. As capable as Reve was, he could only look out for her so much while handling the numerous other tasks Gavriel entrusted to him from time to time.
It was Aliana’s second request, however, that had made Gavriel pause before agreeing. She insisted on bringing Jade and Nigel with them to the estate.
After waking up Aliana was still deeply shaken and terrified of a repeat attack.
Jade had remained unconscious for two days and with her feet severely injured from the shattered glass, and Aliana refused to send her best friend back to her family.
Questions would be raised, her parents would fret over their precious daughter, and Aliana had no idea how she would explain the truth.
Deep down, a suffocating guilt consumed her.
She blamed herself for letting Rose fall into darkness, which had ultimately subjected Jade to such a horrific ordeal.
Gavriel had told her, explaining that spirits turned malevolent for a number of reasons.
It was simply the law of the universe.... the dead could not linger in the land of the living for long. If they refused to cross over, they inevitably warped into corrupted entities that latched onto others.
Still, the heaviness in Aliana’s chest refused to settle. As she prepared for the grand event ahead of her, every single word Rose had spat at her continued to echo in her mind.
However, that was not the only thought that consumed her mind. There was something else as well.... the strange, undeniable changes she could feel happening within her own body.
