Chapter 1018: The birth of a God
Talia looked at the silvery figure in front of her, and her heart ached and warmed at the same time as the feminine features became more distinct.
When Talia opened the portal at her Luna ceremony, the figure looked huge, yet now that she was next to Valerian, she looked petite… just like Talia. Talia understood why Valerian said, more than once, that Talia reminded him of her mother. They looked alike.
And there was Valerian, standing proud and majestic with his hand resting on Astraea's hip, and this time, his smile was genuine. He was happy, and Talia was happy as well.
A warm sensation wrapped around Talia's shoulders, and she looked to the side to see a humanoid mass of darkness. It was Damon.
'How did we get here?' Talia asked Damon.
'I think it's your necklace,' Damon responded. He saw it glowing before they appeared… wherever this was.
As far as the eyes could see, light gray light pulsated rhythmically into white before returning to light gray, and it was impossible to estimate how big the space was. Everything seemed to be close, yet far away, like the distance was not important. A low-lying white mist covered their feet and stretched in all directions, and other than that, there was nothing.
'Your mate is right,' Astraea said. 'The necklace connects us. Given enough power, the passage will open.'
'Is this where you live?' Talia asked.
'Yes and no,' Valerian responded. 'We live everywhere, but this is where you can come, and our will and spirit can manifest themselves for you to see.'
Talia was unsure what to make of this. Will? Spirit? What about the body?
Talia knew that Damon was right by her side, but she couldn't feel the sparks of their bond. Did that mean her parents couldn't feel the sparks either?
'Don't you have bodies?' Talia asked.
Astraea stifled a laugh and nudged Valerian. 'She is like you. Thinking about the flesh.'
Valerian smirked. 'You never complained when we did things with our flesh.'
Astraea cleared her throat, and Talia saw that her mother's cheeks had become pink. Oh, God! Her parents were flirting and talking about sex right in front of her! Talia thought of her parents as stoic and dignified, God-like creatures, and she didn't want to imagine them lost in the throes of passion.
'There are things beyond pleasures of the flesh,' Astraea said to Talia. 'You lived in only one dimension, Natalia. There is so much more for you to explore. I look forward to welcoming you once the time comes.'
Talia was unsure what her mother was talking about, but she guessed that there was more to the world than she knew so far. She thought that time passing differently in the territory of the Midnight Guardians pack was fantastic, but there was more, much more, and her mother hinted that they will reunite. Talia liked that very much.
Talia felt weightless and different overall, and she noticed one more oddity. 'My wolf…' Talia said and turned to Damon. 'I can't feel her.'
'Your wolves are here,' Valerian said and gestured to the side.
Damon and Talia turned to see a white and black wolf running and prancing around each other, like they had no care in the world. Their forms were somewhat ethereal, but those were undoubtedly Liseli and Sapa.
'Is it normal for wolves to separate from human parts?' Talia asked.
'Your wolves are special,' Valerian responded. 'Only powerful spirits maintain their form in this realm.'
Damon could see that Talia was carried away by this place and her parents and everything else happening. It was obvious that Talia had many questions. Damon had many questions also, but the most important one was… 'Our child. Can you do something about Talia's delivery?'
'Your mate is… unique,' Astraea said to Talia while eyeing Damon.
Valerian chuckled. 'Aren't we all?'
Damon's patience was thinning. 'I know this is a reunion for you, but Talia is in labor. Can you help?'
'That's why we are here,' Astraea responded.
Damon was happy to hear this, and there was one more thing. 'What about our bodies? Are they safe?'
'Don't worry about your bodies. Time passes differently here.' Astraea waved her hand, and the air shimmered to show a beach with five humans standing next to the cabana, and inside Damon was cradling Talia in his arms. It looked like a photo because no one was moving a muscle. Even the waves stood there frozen.
'As for the delivery…' Astraea's eyes moved to Talia's belly. 'Birth of our kind is different compared to humans. Mortal bodies are just temporary shells. The real thing is happening here. We are creatures made of energy and shaped by our experiences. I'm sure you noticed that the more you used your energy, the faster your child developed.'
Talia nodded.
'No one ever saw our kind mature so quickly,' Astraea said with a frown of concern on her beautiful face. 'Based on that, I can predict that your child will be powerful and impatient. If you neglect her, she will succumb to the darkness.'
'Her?' Damon asked enthusiastically. A girl! YES!
Talia couldn't believe him. 'Do you care about the gender to the point of not caring if our child will be bad?'
'She can't be bad if you are her mother. I will always be by your side, and we will raise her right. Besides, your mother didn't say she would be bad but that she will join darkness. Look at me. I am dark. Am I bad?'
Astraea shook her head helplessly while wondering if all Alphas were so shameless in front of their mates.
'The lack of compassion for weaker creatures turns pure energy that can grant life into dark one that is set to destroy,' Astraea said to Damon. 'Your past created the man you are today. However, you are not all dark.'
Astraea pointed at Damon's chest, where pulsating white light was seen. 'You treated your pack members fairly. Not because you cared but because you believed that was the right thing to do. In a way, that saved you. However, without Natalia as your mate, you would turn to darkness completely. It was only a matter of time.'
Damon was not offended. Whatever Astraea said was the truth.
Damon was the Alpha he was because of his father's teachings, not because he felt it was right or wrong.
Damon's disrespect for women was getting worse with every next one, and Damon was aware that if Talia didn't appear, he would succumb to the corruption of absolute power. There was no one stronger to force him to stop, and the weaker ones didn't dare to tell him his actions were wrong.
Talia changed all that, and Damon was fine with it. As long as it was with Talia, he had no objections.
Damon pulled Talia closer to him.
'Did you hear that, kitten? You are making me a better person.'
'You are making each other better,' Valerian said.
'Val told me you will call her Violet. That's a lovely name that evokes beauty, grace, and the power of nature. Very fitting.'
Talia was glad that her mother approved, and she turned to grin at Damon. The darkness obstructed most of his features, but she knew he was smiling at her. The emotions flowing into her through their bond were full of love and support, and she would give him a smacking kiss on the lips if that were possible.
Talia reached to touch his cheek, and she sucked in a sharp breath upon contact.
It was like her whole body was charged with the most addictive energy, making her calm and excited, and heady, on the verge of an orgasm. It was all-consuming, and it made her dizzy, and Talia really wanted to feel it again. She placed her palm on Damon's cheek fully, and a groan escaped his lips because he felt the same energy. It was euphoric.
Astraea cleared her throat to get their attention. 'That's a touch with intent. I told you there are better things than you could do with the flesh.'
'You call it better. I call it different,' Valerian chimed in.
Astraea pointed at Talia's belly. 'It is time for her to be born. If we delay this further, she will start absorbing your energy, and we can't have that.'
Damon was alerted. No one should absorb anything Talia's, not even their child. 'What should we do?'
Astraea spread her arms, and wisps of light rose from the mist that covered the ground. Some pinkish, some yellow, some blue, and some pure white, and the atmosphere turned regal.
'When a God perishes, their energy remains,' Astraea explained. 'As long as we have a purpose, focus, or connection to the realm of mortals, we retain our consciousness. Time doesn't mean much here, but without those connections, we eventually dissipate, and only these mindless wisps remain. Think of it like a circle of life. Nothing truly disappears; it only changes form, which applies to everything.'
Talia looked at the wisps of light gathering around them, and some started approaching her belly. She was unsure of what to expect, and if not for her parents smiling at her, she would panic.
'Did Yasmin experience a similar thing when Valeria and Edgar were born?' Talia asked.
Astraea confirmed. 'She did. Not in this way exactly, but the energies gathered to empower her children and preserve her mortal body from giving up during the delivery.'
'Relax, Natalia,' Astraea instructed. 'The energies are gathering, but only the ones compatible with you and your child will come forward. Some will accept you, and some will test you, but rest assured that this is natural. Every God is born like this.'
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