- 1 day ago
I choose that halfblood prince Ep,25 RS
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π₯
Short filmTranscript
00:00The agony of having my divine core ripped out was still tearing through my chest, raw and relentless.
00:05I lay sprawled across the altar as Castian's fingers plunged into my chest without hesitation.
00:10He carefully lifted the core fragment and presented it to the nymph before him.
00:15Lyanna, from this moment on, you are a true goddess.
00:17His voice carried a tenderness I had never once received.
00:20If not for deceiving her into giving up half her divine core, I would not have spared her a second
00:24glance.
00:25He tore out my divine feathers one by one. He shattered my divine bones inch by inch.
00:30And Lyanna looked down at me from above, her smile laced with poison.
00:34Thank you, sister. Thank you for giving your life to make me whole.
00:38In my previous life, to help the man I had grown up with survive the ninefold thunder trial,
00:42I carved out half of my own divine core with ausitation.
00:46The first thing he did after ascending the throne of storms was drive a blade straight into my heart.
00:51Then darkness, deep as the abyss, swallowed everything.
00:55I snapped my eyes open and found myself standing beneath the vast radiant dome of Mount Olympus.
00:59Lightning flickered faintly within the clouds above.
01:01Aurelia, give me your answer. Who will be your king consort?
01:05Zeus, king of the gods, sat upon his golden throne.
01:09Hera, seated on her peacock throne, studied me with a gaze that pierced through everything.
01:14In the center of the hall stood dozens of ambitious heirs among the divines.
01:18I am Aurelia, daughter of Apollo, god of the sun, and Eos, goddess of the dawn, the most noble bloodline
01:25on Mount Olympus.
01:27Zeus had once decreed that whoever I chose as my husband would rightfully inherit the supreme throne of storms.
01:33And now, carrying the phantom pain of my torn heart, I had returned to the very moment where fate would
01:38be decided.
01:39Your majesty, I choose...
01:43Wait!
01:44The arrogant voice cut me off without warning.
01:46Cassian stepped forward, wearing the divine blade I had once begged Hepnitis to forge for him.
01:50The most handsome prince on all of Mount Olympus.
01:52The man who had killed me with his own hands in my past life.
01:55Dropping to one knee, he glanced at me with undisguised disdain.
01:58Father, I know Aurelia is hopelessly infamorated with me, but the only one I truly love is Lyanna.
02:03The hall erupted into stunned whispers.
02:05Zeus' face darkened, while the princes who had shown little interest moments ago now watched with burning intensity.
02:11Everyone knew what marrying me meant.
02:13Power, dominion.
02:14But I understand Aurelia cannot live without me.
02:16Cassian adopted a tone of false generosity.
02:19I am willing to show mercy, and allow her to keep her title as princess, and remain by my side
02:24as a consort.
02:25Lyanna and I have already sworn a blood oath before the fates.
02:28If I betray her, may I fall forever into Tartarus.
02:31Zeus flew into a rage.
02:32The thunder scepter slammed against the ground, shaking the entire divine hall.
02:36Insolence.
02:37A lowy nymph who stole her place among the divines compare herself to the daughter of the sun?
02:42Cassian turned toward me, impatience clear in his voice.
02:45Aurelia, what are you waiting for?
02:46I have already granted you the honor of staying by my side.
02:49Hurry and thank the king of gods.
02:50I stared at his face.
02:52My fury hardened into a cold, mocking smile.
02:55Lyanna, that nymph.
02:56After the titan war, my mother gave birth to me on scorched land and hid me in a cave.
03:01That nymph's family discovered my unawakened divine core, and in their madness sent their own daughter to Mount Olympus disguised
03:07as a divine princess.
03:08For a full century, she fed like a leech on the glory and privilege that were meant to be mine.
03:13It was only when the phoenix flame within my fully awakened that her lies were burned away.
03:17My mother, enraged, had intended to bring down divine punishment.
03:21Lyanna fell to her knees, clinging to her ankle and begging for mercy, and somehow managed to cling to her
03:27worthless life.
03:28Her parents, however, were later torn to pieces during a B-spawn attack.
03:31In my previous life, I had even felt guilty for that and yielded to her at every turn, until the
03:36moment I died, when she whispered in my ear with a smile.
03:39The B-spawn had been lured there by her own hand to silence them.
03:43The hatred was so intense, my nails dug deep into my palms.
03:47Golden divine blood dripped onto the polished marble floor.
03:50The phoenix flame within me roared, my skin burning like heated iron.
03:55But I forced the killing intent down.
03:57Death would be far too merciful for them.
03:59I wanted them alive, watching as they sank into endless ruin.
04:02I drew a slow breath, the corner of my lips lifting into a cold, predatory smile.
04:07Your Majesty, I have made my choice.
04:09All eyes locked onto me instantly.
04:11Kacian lifted his chin, his face full of a victor's arrogance.
04:14I stepped forward to the throne, etched a name into Zeus' palm with divine power, and conveyed my plan through
04:19divine will.
04:20His pupils tightened slightly.
04:22Surprise flickered for only a moment before turning into cold approval.
04:25Since you have decided I will prepare a wedding unlike any the world has ever seen.
04:30Zeus' sharp gaze shifted past me and struck Kacian.
04:33As for you, return to your palace and remain confined until the wedding begins.
04:38Kacian lowered his head, unable to hide the satisfaction curling at his lips.
04:43He believed this grand wedding was a compromise made for him.
04:47What he did not know was that the bride was not me.
04:50It was that wretched nymph.
04:52When I stepped out of the side hall, Kacian was still waiting in the corridor,
04:56with Lyanna clinging to his arm, looking fragile and pitiful.
04:58Sister, she said as she approached, her eyes shimmering with tears.
05:02Thank you for your generality, for making this possible.
05:06Kacian immediately pulled her into his arms.
05:08Auroraia, Lyanna's parents died because of you.
05:11Shouldn't you at least offer a few relic artifacts as compensation?
05:14I watched the nauseating performance in silence.
05:17Seeing that I did not respond, Kacian's tone softened just slightly.
05:20The reluctant languid beneath it.
05:22Aradia, I have one more request.
05:26Lyanna's power is too weak.
05:28She cannot withstand a divine pot.
05:30I need to borrow your divine core.
05:33For a brief moment, my mind rang with a sharp, piercing hum.
05:38I was seconds away from losing control,
05:41from letting the flames at my fingertips erupt and reduce them both to ash.
05:44But that would be far too crude.
05:46Just as the tension thickened into suffocating silence,
05:49a low, magnetic voice cut cleanly through it.
05:52Princess Auroraia,
05:53His Majesty the King of Gods has sent me to escort you.
05:56The speaker was a young man with black hair and dark eyes,
05:58tall and composed,
06:00with a pair of partially formed horns at his crown,
06:02a mark of a divine bloodline not yet fully awakened,
06:05a symbol of his half-blood identity.
06:07On Mount Olympus,
06:08where bloodline meant everything,
06:10he was branded as inferior.
06:12But I remembered him.
06:14Lucian.
06:14In my past life,
06:16he had been like a cold shadow,
06:17quiet,
06:18withdrawn,
06:19never seeking favor,
06:20always lingering at the edges.
06:21Until the day I died.
06:23While the gods stood by and looked upon my corpse with indifference,
06:26only he broke through the barriers in a frenzy
06:28and dropped to his knees in the pool of my blood.
06:30His trembling hands gathered what remained of me,
06:32and scorching tears fell onto my face.
06:35He buried me at the peak of Mount Olympus,
06:37planted a golden apple tree,
06:38then drew his sword and alone and without hesitation,
06:41charged toward Cassian's throne of storms.
06:43He went to his death for a woman who had never once truly seen him.
06:47I studied him for a long moment,
06:48then the flames around me faded,
06:50and I offered him a completely unguarded smile.
06:52Let's go.
06:53Stop.
06:54Cassian's voice cracked like a whip as he stepped forward,
06:56glaring at Lucian.
06:57You worthless half-flood.
06:59What right do you have to stand beside Aurelia?
07:01He is my future king, Consort.
07:03That alone gives him the right to walk at my side.
07:05I did not spare Cassius even a glance.
07:07Instead of throwing a tantrum here,
07:08you should go prepare for the ascension trial in five days.
07:11Try not to die in the lightning.
07:12Lucian stiffened for just a moment.
07:14A flicker of surprise crossed his dark eyes,
07:16and a faint flush crept behind his ears.
07:19At the mention of the trial,
07:20Cassian's anger instantly gave way to arrogance.
07:22A mere divine trial means nothing.
07:24Even without your divine core,
07:25I will crush it underfoot.
07:27Five days from now,
07:28you better be ready to become my woman.
07:29I ignored the barking behind me
07:31and walked down the corridor with Lucian at my side.
07:34The king of God's plan.
07:35I said,
07:36You already know it?
07:37Lucian stopped.
07:39Then, without hesitation,
07:40he dropped to one knee.
07:41Your highness,
07:43I, Lucian,
07:43swear this oath before the fates.
07:45If I ever betray you in this life,
07:47may my soul essence be torn apart,
07:49and may I suffer eternal torment in Tartaros.
07:52A blinding dark gold light burst from his brow
07:54and shot into the sky.
07:56Thunder roared across the heavens.
07:57This was a supreme law witnessed by Zeus himself.
08:00A vow bound by the soul.
08:02Unbreakable.
08:03I removed the starfall pendant from my waist.
08:05It was a sacred artifact forged by Selman,
08:07goddess of the moon.
08:08I fastened it onto his belt with my own hands.
08:10I believe you.
08:11Princess Aurora.
08:12His voice trembled,
08:13horsey with emotion.
08:14Even if I burn my bones and blood to nothing,
08:17I will never fail you.
08:18My palace stood at the easternmost edge of Mount Olympus,
08:21where it welcomed the first light of dawn each day.
08:24At the center of the courtyard grew a golden apple tree,
08:27nurtured by my mother from a branch of Yggdrasil.
08:30It symbolized home and sanctuary.
08:32For a hundred years,
08:33I had tended it with the light of dawn
08:35and nourished it with moonlight
08:37until it grew into a towering giant.
08:39But when I stepped through the gates,
08:41what greeted me was a silent ruin.
08:43My maid, Myra,
08:45stumbled forward and collapsed at my feet.
08:47Her translucent wings were tattered,
08:49her dress stained with dirt.
08:51Your highness, they cut down your tree!
08:53I shoved the gates open.
08:54The golden apple tree,
08:55the one that carried a century of my devotion,
08:57had been severed at its base.
08:59The massive trunk lay fallen,
09:00golden leaves scattered across the cold stone
09:02like divine tears of blood.
09:03Golden sap poured endlessly from the wound,
09:05while unripe fruit fell into the dirt,
09:07shriveling and rotting in moments.
09:08Everything was destroyed.
09:10Slowly, I lifted my head.
09:12My eyes burned red with overwhelming fury.
09:15Cassian stood casually in the center of the wreckage,
09:18idly twirling the divine blade forged by Hephaestus.
09:21Drops of golden sap still clung to its sharp edge.
09:24His expression was relaxed,
09:25as though he had merely crushed an insignificant insect.
09:28What gives you the right to touch my tree?
09:31My voice was soft,
09:32colder than winter wind.
09:34It was just a useless tree.
09:35Cassian shrugged, unconcerned.
09:37Lyanna likes lumaine rose.
09:39Starting tomorrow,
09:39this place will be cleared and replanted with roses.
09:41This is my domain.
09:42You are about to belong to me.
09:44Cassian's expression darkened at my defiance.
09:46He strode forward, towering over me.
09:48Aurelia, understand your position.
09:49If you anger me,
09:50I can withdraw my offer to marry you at any time.
09:52When that happens,
09:53even if you beg at my feet,
09:54I would not spare you a glance.
09:55He was waiting for fear,
09:57waiting for submission.
09:57But I only looked at him coldly,
09:59as if I were staring at a rotting corpse.
10:01Cassian,
10:02put away that disgusting arrogance.
10:04My future husband could be a hound from hell,
10:06and it still would never be you.
10:07For a split second,
10:08the killing intent in my eyes unsettled him.
10:11Then he let out a mocking laugh.
10:12Other than me,
10:13who on Mount Olympus would dare marry you?
10:16Do not forget,
10:17the King of Gods
10:18personally ordered preparations for our wedding.
10:20Of course.
10:20In his arrogance,
10:21he believed that grand ceremony was meant for him.
10:23He could not possibly imagine that,
10:25On that very day,
10:26the bride waiting for him
10:27would be the monster he cherished most.
10:29Enjoy your last days of glory, Cassian.
10:32I watched his retreating finger,
10:33a cruel smile curling at my lips.
10:34In five days,
10:35I will show you exactly what it feels like
10:37to fall into hell.
10:38Five days later,
10:39the Abyss of Thunder.
10:40A terrifying chasm carved deep
10:42within the mountains of Mount Olympus.
10:44A scar left behind
10:45when Zeus split the earth
10:47with his thunder scepter.
10:48The Abyss plunged endlessly into darkness.
10:50The charred rock walls
10:52bore the violent marks
10:53of ancient lightning strikes,
10:54while within the eternal black,
10:56violet gold lightning
10:57slithered and hissed
10:58like venomous serpents.
10:59The gods had gathered.
11:01Zeus sat upon the supreme throne
11:02at the edge of the Abyss.
11:04The twelve principal gods
11:05arrayed on either side,
11:06their presence pressing down
11:07like a raging sea.
11:09Unexpectedly,
11:10Lyanna had dared to come as well.
11:12She wore a flowing white gown,
11:14her golden hair adorned with lumina roses,
11:16clinging delicately to Cassian's arm
11:18as though she were already
11:19a crowned queen.
11:20Cassian caught sight of me from afar
11:22and immediately strode over
11:23with Lyanna,
11:24a confident, calculated smile
11:25on his face.
11:26Aurora,
11:27today's trial will depend
11:28on the divine core within you.
11:30I answered his shamelessness
11:31with silence.
11:32Then his gaze shifted past me
11:33and froze.
11:34Luian stood quietly
11:35at the edge of the Abyss.
11:36He wore plain black leather armor,
11:38his posture straight as a blade.
11:40At his waist hung the starfall pendant,
11:42glowing softly with moonlight.
11:44How does a mung like you
11:45possess the starfall pendant?
11:46Cassian's veins bulged
11:47at his temples.
11:48Fury nearly consuming his reason,
11:50Lucien did not even bother
11:51to draw his weapon.
11:52He simply met Cassian's gaze,
11:54cold and distant,
11:55as though looking at a speck of dust.
11:56Sensing the tension,
11:57Lyanna quickly pressed herself
11:58against Cassian's arm.
11:59My love, do not be angry.
12:01That pendant must be
12:02a cheap imitation Aurelia found.
12:03A lowly half-blood like him
12:04would probably turn to ash
12:06before surviving
12:07even the first strike of lightning.
12:08Cassian regained some of his arrogance
12:10and let out a cold snore,
12:11casting me a finna-warning glance
12:13before tumming away.
12:15The trial began.
12:17The son of Ares was the first
12:18to leap into the abyss.
12:19A deafening roar followed
12:21as violet gold lightning
12:22crashed down upon him.
12:23His scream tore through the air
12:25as he was hurled violently
12:26against the rock wall.
12:27The sound of shattering bones
12:29echoed clearly.
12:30He barely survived
12:31the first heaven's judgment
12:32before losing all ability
12:33to continue.
12:34The challengers that followed
12:35fared little better.
12:36The strongest among them
12:38managed to endure
12:39only three strikes of lightning.
12:42A shadow darkened Zeus's gaze.
12:46Cassian.
12:46At last, it was his turn.
12:49Cassian strode into the center
12:50of the abyss
12:51with absolute confidence
12:52and to everyone's shock,
12:53Liana gathered her skirts
12:54and followed him.
12:55Gasps erupted across the crowd.
12:57Even the original force of the abyss
12:58could tear a fragile nink
12:59apart in an instant.
13:00Do not be afraid, my love.
13:01Cassian caressed her cheek.
13:03With Aurelia's divine core
13:04protecting me,
13:05I will not let you suffer
13:06even the slightest harm.
13:08Liana closed her eyes,
13:09deeply moved.
13:10Then she opened her mouth
13:11and forcibly adjusted
13:12her life core.
13:13It was a thumb-sized crystal
13:14glowing faintly green.
13:15The moment it left her body,
13:16her once radiant skin
13:17rapidly withered,
13:18turning dull and lifeless.
13:19Her golden hair faded to gray
13:21and deep wrinkles spread
13:22across her face
13:22like crack bark.
13:23Liana, have you lost your mind?
13:25Cassian shouted in suscroft.
13:26For you, I would give everything.
13:27She gasped weakly,
13:29forcing a fragile,
13:30sorrowful smile.
13:31Completely moved
13:32by this twisted display
13:33of devotion,
13:34Kasia's eyes reddened.
13:35He took the green crystal
13:37and fused it
13:37into his own heart.
13:39Then he raised his head
13:40and spread his arms
13:41toward the sky.
13:42He intended to summon
13:43all nine strikes
13:44of the trial at once.
13:48The heavens were instantly
13:49swallowed by storm clouds
13:51as dark as ink.
13:52Violet gold lightning
13:53transformed into
13:54colossal dragons
13:56ringling through the sky.
13:57The destructive pressure
13:59bore down so heavily
14:00that even the assembled gods
14:02struggled to breathe.
14:03Has he lost his mind?
14:05Zeus rose to his feet,
14:06the thunder scepter
14:07blazing with light.
14:08To invoke all nine
14:09heavens judgments at once?
14:10This has never happened
14:11in all the history
14:12of Mount Olympus.
14:13At the center of the storm,
14:14Cassian locked his gaze
14:15onto me,
14:16his eyes filled with
14:17desperate hunger
14:17and expectation.
14:18Luria!
14:19Give me your divine core!
14:21Help me through this trial!
14:22My response was to stand there,
14:24arms crossed,
14:25cold and unmoving.
14:27The phoenix flame
14:28within me lay still
14:29like a silent abyss,
14:30offering not even
14:31a trace of protection.
14:33Cassian's smile frozen.
14:34Auraria,
14:35what are you doing?
14:37Are you still
14:38throwing a tantrum?
14:40Do you not want
14:41to marry me anymore?
14:42For the first time,
14:43the arrogance etched
14:44into his face
14:44began to crack.
14:45Panic spread through him
14:47like poison.
14:49If all nine strikes fall,
14:50I will be annihilated.
14:52Will you really
14:53just watch me die?
14:54I remained moanless,
14:55like a flawless marble statue.
14:57A thunderous explosion
14:58shattered the sky.
15:01The first Heaven's Judgment fell.
15:02The violet gold lightning
15:03enveloped Cassia instantly.
15:05Amid the deafening roar,
15:06his scream tore
15:07through the storm.
15:08Blinding arcs of electricity
15:09scorched his golden hair
15:10and pierced straight through
15:11through the armor
15:12forged by Hephaedrus.
15:13He coughed up
15:13a mouthful of blood,
15:15streaked with flecks of gold.
15:16The lightning was destroying
15:17his divine bloodline
15:19from within.
15:19No!
15:21A more horrifying scream
15:23followed.
15:23Because Lyanna's life core
15:25had been fused
15:25into Cassian,
15:26the destructive force
15:27of the Heaven's Judgment
15:28surged back through
15:29the Blood Oath
15:30and struck her as well.
15:31The fragile crystal
15:32cracked with a sharp snap,
15:34fractions spreading
15:35across its surface
15:36before it shattered completely.
15:37Her life force
15:39drained away
15:39like a broken floodgate.
15:41In mere moments,
15:42her youthful body
15:42collapsed into that
15:43of a shriveled old woman,
15:45her skin wrinkled
15:46and grotesque.
15:47No!
15:47Do not look at me!
15:48My face!
15:49Cassius, save me!
15:51She wailed,
15:52rizzling on the ground
15:53in despair.
15:53But Cassius could not
15:55even save himself.
15:57He dropped to one knee
15:59like a dying beast,
16:00his armor shattered,
16:01his body torn open
16:03with wounds deep enough
16:04to expose bone.
16:05There was nothing left
16:06of his former pride.
16:07He struggled to lift his head.
16:09The arrogance had vanished
16:10from his bloodshot
16:11gray-blue eyes
16:12replaced by raw,
16:13primal fear.
16:14Lyria, save me.
16:16At last, I moved.
16:18The sound of my heels
16:19echoed against the marble
16:21as I walked forward,
16:23one step at a time,
16:24toward the edge of the abyss.
16:25Hope flared wildly
16:26in Cassian's eyes.
16:28Then, before his desperate gaze,
16:30I turned cleanly away
16:31and walked straight
16:31toward Lucian.
16:32I took his hand,
16:33large and rough,
16:34and laced my fingers with his,
16:36raising them high
16:37for all to see.
16:38My voice,
16:39amplified by divine power,
16:41rang clearly across
16:42the entire abyss of thunder.
16:44Who said I would marry
16:45this worthless man?
16:46The only one worthy
16:47to be my King Concord
16:48is Lucian.
16:49The starfall pendant
16:50stands as witness.
16:52Silence fell over everything.
16:53Then, in the next instant,
16:55an uproar more deafening
16:56than the ninefold thunder
16:57itself erupted
16:58throughout the entire
16:59divine hall.
16:59The daughter of the sun
17:00chose a half-flood?
17:02Look, that is the starfall
17:03penned of the moon goddess.
17:05Gasps of shock
17:05rippled through the gods
17:06one after another.
17:07At the bottom of the abyss,
17:09Cassian seemed to collapse
17:10entirely,
17:11as if the strength
17:12had been stripped
17:12from his bones.
17:13He lay there in despair.
17:15No, that is impossible.
17:16The one you loved was me.
17:18Above,
17:19the second heaven's judgment
17:20had already taken form.
17:21It was no longer violet gold,
17:23but a deep violet black.
17:25The true color of chaos lightning.
17:27A force of absolute destruction.
17:29Aurelia!
17:31His final scream
17:32tore out of him
17:33like the last cry
17:34of a dying beast.
17:38The second strike fell.
17:40The violet black storm
17:41swallowed him whole.
17:43His screams were so agonizing
17:44they sounded as though
17:45they came from
17:46the deepest fires of hell.
17:48When the lightning
17:49finally dissipated,
17:50the entire assembly
17:51drew in sharp breaths.
17:52The once radiant prince
17:53now lay like a charred husk
17:55in a pool of blood.
17:56His golden hair
17:56had turned to ash.
17:57His armor melted
17:58into his flesh.
17:59His limbs twisted
18:00at unnatural angles,
18:01and it was impossible
18:01to tell whether
18:02he still clung to life.
18:03Zeus let out
18:04a disappointed sigh.
18:05With a light tap
18:06of a scepter,
18:07the storm clouds
18:07and vanished instantly.
18:10Spare his life.
18:11He still carries
18:12the blood of the divines.
18:14The king of gods
18:15delivered his cold judgment.
18:16To everyone's surprise,
18:17Cassian's will to survive
18:18flared violently.
18:19Dragging his shattered body,
18:20he crawled towards me
18:21through the blood.
18:22Each movement
18:23left a grotex trail
18:24set behind him.
18:24Then, with a dull thud,
18:26he collapsed to his knees
18:27at my feet.
18:28The man who had once
18:29carved out my heart
18:30and killed our unborn child
18:32now knelt before me
18:33like a broken animal.
18:34Aurelia!
18:35I was wrong.
18:36His voice rashed like sand
18:38scraping against stone.
18:39Please.
18:40I swear I will only love you
18:41from now on.
18:42I looked down at him.
18:43The ocean of hatred
18:44from my past life
18:45surged within me,
18:45transforming into a cruel
18:46sense of satisfaction.
18:47Without hesitation,
18:48I lifted my boot
18:49and kicked him to the ground.
18:50He fell onto his back.
18:51His clouded eyes
18:51went with disbelief.
18:52I bent down gracefully,
18:54my face close to his ear.
18:55The stench of burnt flesh
18:56nearly made me recoil,
18:57but I maintained a cold smile.
18:59Cassian.
19:00I whispered softly,
19:01so only he could hear.
19:03When you carved out
19:04my divine core
19:04in our last life,
19:05did you ever imagine
19:06you would end up like this?
19:07His pupils shrank
19:08to pinpoints.
19:09Confusion turned to shock,
19:10and then to a terror
19:11so deep it seemed
19:12to drag him into an abyss.
19:14At last,
19:15he understood.
19:16He was not the only one
19:18who had been reborn.
19:19You...
19:19You also came back?
19:21From that future?
19:22His teeth chattered uncontrollably.
19:24I straightened
19:25without answering.
19:26He collapsed completely,
19:28trembling in the pool of blood.
19:34I turned and took Lucian's hand,
19:36firm and warm,
19:38pulling him towards
19:39the center of the abyss.
19:40Go.
19:42This time,
19:43I will stand with you.
19:46But his feet did not move.
19:48He remained at the edge,
19:49as if rooted in place.
19:51What is it?
19:51I asked, turning back.
19:53Behind us,
19:53Cassian suddenly burst
19:55into vicious laughter,
19:56clinging to his last shred of hope.
19:58A coward!
19:59You chose a worthless man
20:00who does not even dare
20:01enter the trial.
20:02Lucian ignored him completely.
20:03He lowered his gaze to me,
20:05those dark eyes deep
20:05as endless night,
20:06filled with a kind of quiet,
20:08overwhelming tenderness
20:09I had never seen in anyone,
20:10in any lifetime.
20:11Your Highness,
20:12this time,
20:13I want to do it myself.
20:14He said,
20:14his voice low and steady.
20:16I froze.
20:16The fury of the lightning
20:18will damage your divine core.
20:19I will never allow
20:20your foundation to be harmed.
20:21His thumb brushed lightly
20:22across the back of my hand,
20:23sending a faint shover
20:24through me.
20:25Before I could argue,
20:26he released my hand.
20:27Then he turned,
20:28like a warrior
20:29stepping onto the battlefield,
20:30and walked straight
20:30into the abyss of thunder.
20:32When Lucian's tall,
20:33dark figure
20:33stepped into the golden pool
20:35at the bottom of the abyss,
20:36murmurs rippled
20:37through the stands.
20:38A half-blood
20:39with impure rancity.
20:40How many strikes
20:40could he possibly understared?
20:42I heard none of it.
20:43Every sense I had
20:44was locked onto the man
20:45standing below.
20:46He stood at the center
20:46of the abyss
20:47like an unwielding war god.
20:48He removed his heavy
20:49black leather armor
20:50and cast it aside,
20:51leaving only a thin linen shirt
20:52clinging to his body.
20:53The golden water
20:54soaked through the fabric,
20:55outlining the powerful planes
20:56of his chest
20:56and the sharp definition
20:57of his abdomen,
20:58a form so perfect
20:59it would have left
20:59even the greatest sculptors
21:00in awe.
21:01He closed his eyes,
21:02fists clenched at his sides,
21:04allowing the power within him
21:05to break free
21:05of its restraints.
21:07Above,
21:07storm clouds gathered
21:08once more,
21:09but this time
21:10there was no wild lightning.
21:12Instead,
21:12a suffocating stillness
21:13spread through the sky
21:14as if some ancient beast
21:16slumbering for tens
21:17of thousands of years
21:18was slowly opening its eyes.
21:19Only one bolt?
21:20A god scoffered.
21:21The laughter died instantly.
21:23What formed in the clouds
21:24was not ordinary lightning.
21:26It was a pure black bolt
21:27that devoured all light,
21:28like the primordial darkness
21:29at the birth of chaos.
21:32There was no thunder,
21:33no roar,
21:34only absolute destruction.
21:35As it descended,
21:36space itself tore apart,
21:37revealed fractures
21:38of shifting color
21:39beneath reality.
21:40Primordial lightning.
21:40Zeus rose abruptly
21:42from his throne,
21:43his expression shaken.
21:44This is lightning
21:45from the dawn of the universe.
21:47I have not seen it
21:48in tens of thousands of years.
21:50The black bolt
21:51struck Lucian
21:52squarely across the back.
21:53There was no explosion,
21:55no flame.
21:56Only darkness
21:57swallowed him whole.
21:58Seconds later,
21:59the darkness receded.
22:00Lucian still stood.
22:01He had not moved
22:02a single step.
22:03His soaked linen shirt
22:04remained intact,
22:05as if what had struck him
22:06was nothing more
22:07than a passing breeze.
22:08Silence fell.
22:09Then, the entire assembly erupted.
22:11Not a single injury?
22:13That is impossible!
22:14On the ground,
22:15Cassian's face twisted
22:16grotesquely
22:17with envy and despair.
22:20Lucian did not open his eyes.
22:22His jaw remained tight.
22:23The second strike fell.
22:24Two bolts of primordial lightning
22:26descended together.
22:27He stood unmoving.
22:28The third,
22:29three bolts intertwined.
22:30The fourth,
22:31four converged strikes.
22:33The fifth,
22:33five massive black bolts
22:35wove into a net of destruction,
22:36enveloping the entire
22:38abyss of thunder.
22:39Even the unbreakable rock walls
22:40began to collapse.
22:42At last,
22:42blood appeared.
22:43Black arcs scorched
22:44his bronze skin,
22:45leaving terrifying marks.
22:47Crimson seeped
22:48through his clothing.
22:49His brow tightened.
22:51His teeth clenched.
22:52Clearly enduring agony
22:53that tore at the soul itself.
22:54Yet he did not make a sound.
22:56The fifth strike ended.
22:57I thought he would stop there,
22:58just as he had
22:59in my previous life.
23:01Enduring five Heaven's judgments alone
23:03was already enough
23:04to elevate him
23:04among the greatest
23:05on Mount Olympus.
23:06But he did not move.
23:08He stood like
23:09an indestructible blade
23:10embedded in scorched earth.
23:12I stepped forward
23:12before I realized it.
23:13A tremor in my voice
23:14I did not recognize.
23:15Lucian?
23:16He opened his eyes slowly
23:17and looked at me from afar.
23:19Blood streaked
23:19across his sharp features,
23:21yet he gave me
23:21a faint smile,
23:23wild and gentle at once.
23:24Your Highness,
23:25I can still fight.
23:28The sixth Heaven's judgment
23:30descended with
23:31catastrophic fury.
23:32Six bolts of primordial lightning
23:33merged into a single
23:35pillar of darkness,
23:36as vast as a column
23:37holding up
23:37Mount Olympus itself
23:39and crashed down.
23:40The space around it
23:41groaned under the strain.
23:43The beam swallowed him entirely,
23:45and my heart clenched violently.
23:47When the light faded,
23:48Lucian was on one knee.
23:49His body was torn
23:50with deep, jagged wounds.
23:52Blood poured from him,
23:53staining the golden pool,
23:55a dark crimson.
23:56His face was pale,
23:57his muscles trembling
23:58from exhaustion.
23:59Yet he planted his hands
23:59against the ground
24:00and forced himself upright.
24:01He did not fall.
24:02Six strikes of primordial lightning,
24:04a feat unmatched
24:05in thousands of years
24:06among the Divines.
24:07Zeus trembled with excitement
24:08upon his throne.
24:09Good.
24:09Excellent.
24:10This is the true brilliance
24:12of the Divines.
24:12Lucian breathed heavily.
24:14Though his movements were slow,
24:15he maintained the dignity
24:16of a warrior.
24:16My thanks, Your Majesty.
24:17Turning toward Zeus,
24:18he bowed his head.
24:19He began to leave the abyss,
24:20dragging his blooded body
24:21behind him.
24:22Wait.
24:23I loosened my outer robe
24:24and stepped past the boundary
24:25of the abyss
24:26without hesitation,
24:27entering the battlefield
24:28he stood in.
24:30Your Highness.
24:30For the first time,
24:32fear appeared
24:33in Lucian's dark eyes.
24:35I walked straight to him
24:36and took his burning hand,
24:37ignoring the blood
24:38that covered him.
24:39Do not be afraid.
24:40I looked up at the storm clouds
24:41still churning above.
24:43Three strikes remained.
24:44Aurea,
24:45have you lost your mind?
24:47Zeus's voice
24:48thundered overhead.
24:50The fire within you
24:51is the origin
24:52of Divine Flame.
24:53If it is damaged...
24:55I ignored him.
24:56Closing my eyes,
24:57the Phoenix Flame within me
24:58erupted like a waking volcano.
25:00Golden red fire
25:01surged into the sky,
25:03forming a great phoenix
25:04that spread its wings around us,
25:06shielding us both.
25:07The seventh heaven's judgment
25:09roared as it descended.
25:12Seven bolts of primorval lightning
25:14merged into a monstrous dragon,
25:16its abyssian jaws wide
25:17as it roared
25:18and plunged downward.
25:19Lucian instinctively tried
25:20to pull free from my grasp
25:21to shield me with his body,
25:22but I tightened my hold,
25:23our fingers locked together.
25:25This time,
25:26we face it together.
25:28The black lightning dragon
25:29swallowed us whole.
25:31Pain beyond words
25:32tore through every nerve.
25:34Primordial lightning
25:34rampaged through my veins,
25:36clashing violently
25:36with the Divine Flame
25:37at my core.
25:38It felt as though
25:38my bones were being crushed
25:39piece by piece.
25:40I bit down hard enough
25:41to taste blood.
25:42Driven by sheer will,
25:43the Phoenix Flame surged,
25:45wrapping itself around
25:45the destructive force
25:46and forcing it,
25:47little by little,
25:48into submission.
25:48When the lightning faded,
25:50we were still standing,
25:51our hands still tightly joined.
25:54Lucian's voice
25:54was hossy with pain.
25:57Your Highness,
25:59your hand.
26:00I glanced down.
26:01Dark, charred cracks
26:02had spread across
26:03the back of my hand,
26:05golden divine blood
26:06seeping through.
26:07I wiped the blood
26:08from my lips
26:08without concern.
26:09It is nothing.
26:11Two more remain.
26:12The eighth heaven's
26:13judgment descended.
26:14Eight bolts of black lightning
26:15wove together
26:16into a vast net of darkness,
26:18sealing off the sky
26:19as it crashed down.
26:22The pain was ten times
26:23worse than before.
26:24A sharp fracture
26:25rang from my divine core
26:27as fine cracks
26:27spread across it.
26:29The Phoenix Flame
26:30flickered violently
26:30on the verge of collapse.
26:32My vision blurred,
26:33but I did not let go.
26:35Lucian's grip
26:35tightened around mine
26:36like iron.
26:37A force both fierce
26:38and strangely gentle
26:39surged through
26:40our joined hands,
26:41pouring into my body.
26:42We endured
26:43the eighth strike.
26:45My skin was covered
26:46in fractures
26:47like shattered porcelain.
26:49Luian was worse,
26:50drenched in blood
26:51as though he had risen
26:52from a crimson abyss.
26:54Yet when he looked at me,
26:55his eyes burned
26:56like living stars.
26:59The ninth strike.
27:01The final judgment.
27:02The storm clouds
27:03contracted violently,
27:05compressing all their
27:06destructive power
27:07into a single point.
27:08What emerged
27:08was a thread-like
27:09black needle
27:10so fine
27:11it was nearly invisible.
27:13Zeus rose abruptly.
27:15His expression shaken.
27:17That is the needle of chaos.
27:19Auraria,
27:19leave the abyss immediately.
27:21I did not retreat.
27:22Instead,
27:23I stepped forward,
27:24placing myself
27:25slightly ahead of Lucian.
27:26The black needle
27:28pierced through
27:28the phoenix flame
27:29effortlessly.
27:31It tore through
27:32my flesh and bone,
27:33driving straight
27:34into my core fragment.
27:35A sharp crack echoed.
27:37Fractures spread
27:39through my divine core
27:40like a collapsing canyon.
27:42Pain surged
27:43like a tidal wave,
27:45overwhelming everything.
27:46At the moment
27:47my core was about
27:48to shatter completely,
27:49Lucidian let out
27:50a wild roar.
27:55He pulled me
27:56into his burning embrace,
27:58pouring all of his
27:59soul and power
27:59into me.
28:00His strength
28:01was fierce
28:02yet impossibly gentle,
28:04wrapping around
28:05my breaking core,
28:06forcing it back together,
28:08reshaping it.
28:09He was willing
28:10to drain
28:10every drop
28:11of his divine blood
28:12to keep me alive.
28:13The ninefold
28:15thunder trial
28:16was broken.
28:17The storm clouds
28:18vanished in an instant,
28:20replaced by a radiant
28:21golden light
28:22that pierced the heavens.
28:23It was Zeus's blessing.
28:25Divine power
28:26flowed over us
28:27like long-awaited rain,
28:28repairing our bodies.
28:29Within my restored
28:30divine core
28:31surged a terrifying
28:32new strength.
28:33Lucian's transformation
28:34was even more astonishing.
28:36The small horns
28:37atop his head
28:38grew rapidly,
28:39forming majestic
28:40dark gold crown horns.
28:41His tattered clothing
28:43turned to ash,
28:44replaced by a suit
28:45of black armor
28:46etched with flowing
28:47ancient runes.
28:48An ancient,
28:49primordial pressure
28:50awakened within him,
28:51a presence powerful enough
28:52to rival Zeus himself.
28:56The gods fell
28:57into stunned silence.
28:59Even Hera's eyes
29:00flickered with unease
29:01and shock.
29:02In the distance,
29:03Cassian lay collapsed
29:04like a lifeless husk,
29:06his spirit utterly broken.
29:07This was no inferior
29:09half-blood.
29:10This was the purest
29:11direct lineage
29:12of the primordial
29:13god Uranus.
29:14Older and more noble
29:16than any bloodline present,
29:18Zeus descended
29:18from his throne,
29:19something he had
29:20never done before,
29:21and approached
29:22the edge of the abyss.
29:23My child,
29:24from this day forward,
29:25you are the first heir
29:27to the throne of storms.
29:28Your grand wedding
29:30with Aurelia
29:30will be held
29:32in three days.
29:33Lucian dropped
29:34to one knee,
29:35offering a flawless
29:36knight's salute.
29:37I submit to your will,
29:38your majesty.
29:39I stood beside him,
29:41watching as the man
29:42who had once lingered
29:43in shadows
29:43finally stepped
29:44into his rightful light.
29:46The frozen weight
29:47of hatred
29:47that had bound my heart
29:48across lifetimes
29:49quietly melted away,
29:51undone by his
29:52unwavering devotion
29:53and quiet resolve.
29:54Three days later,
29:56Mount Olympus
29:57welcomed the most
29:58extravagant wedding
29:59in thousands of years.
30:00The entire divine mountain
30:02shimmered beneath
30:03radiant magic.
30:04In the courtyards,
30:05golden fragments
30:06of starlight
30:07hung from every branch,
30:07while garlands woven
30:09from lumina roses
30:09and laurel leaves
30:10stretched for miles.
30:11The fates themselves
30:13appeared in divine form
30:14to bestow their blessing,
30:16and the nine muses
30:18played golden harps,
30:20their voices
30:20carrying songs
30:22of eternal love.
30:23I wore a wedding gown
30:24woven by my mother
30:25from the very first
30:27light of dawn.
30:28Its long trail
30:29burned with sacred
30:30golden fire
30:31borrowed from
30:32my father's chariot
30:33of the sun,
30:34dazzling beyond words.
30:37At the far end
30:38of the crowd,
30:38Lucian walked toward me
30:40with steady steps.
30:41He wore a sharply
30:42tailored black suit,
30:43the starfall pendant
30:44resting at his waist.
30:46In his dark,
30:47endless eyes,
30:48there was no trace
30:49of gods or power.
30:51There was only me.
30:54He knelt before me,
30:55gently lifting my hand.
30:57My princess,
30:58will you allow me
30:59to be your blade
31:00and your shield,
31:01and walk eternity
31:02at your side?
31:03I clasped his hand
31:04in return,
31:05my fingers brushing
31:06the callies on his palm.
31:08I will.
31:08The moment our vows
31:09were sealed,
31:10a rain of golden light
31:12poured from the heavens.
31:13Fate itself
31:14had been rewritten.
31:15The celebration
31:16lasted for three days
31:18and nights,
31:18the laughter of the gods
31:20nearly shaking
31:20the stars themselves.
31:22On the final night,
31:23Lucian took my hand
31:24and led me away
31:24from the noise,
31:25into the palace gardens.
31:26I stopped suddenly,
31:27covering my lips
31:28in disbelief.
31:29Where ruin
31:29had once stood,
31:30a new golden apple tree
31:32had grown,
31:32already taller
31:33than both of us.
31:35Beneath the silver glow
31:36of the moon,
31:37it shimmered softly,
31:38its branches full,
31:39a few young golden fruits,
31:41already beginning to form.
31:43I went to your mother
31:43and asked for a new branch
31:44of Yugdara.
31:45Lucian wrapped his arms
31:46around me from behind,
31:47resting his chin lightly
31:48against my shoulder.
31:49His breath carried
31:49a faint trace of wine,
31:50his voice quieter than usual,
31:51almost shy.
31:52I am sorry.
31:53I used all my strength,
31:55and this is as far
31:55as I could grow it.
31:57My princess,
31:58can you wait for it
31:59to grow taller?
32:00Memories of the past
32:01flooded my mind.
32:02The shattered golden leaves,
32:04the tree that had been
32:05cut down without mercy.
32:06And now,
32:07this man had rebuilt it
32:09with his own hands.
32:11He had given me
32:12a home again.
32:13I turned,
32:14wrapping my arms
32:14around his neck,
32:16rising onto my toes
32:17as I pressed my lips
32:18to his.
32:18He froze instantly,
32:20rigid as stone.
32:21But after a brief moment,
32:22restraint gave way.
32:23His hand slid
32:24to the back of my head,
32:25pulling me closer,
32:26while his other arm
32:27tightened around my waist,
32:29drawing me firmly
32:30against his chest
32:30as the kiss deepened.
32:32Beneath the newborn
32:33golden apple tree,
32:34even the stars
32:35faded into the background.
32:36When the kiss ended,
32:38I rested against his chest,
32:40listening to the powerful rhythm
32:41of his heartbeat.
32:43I like it.
32:44He said nothing.
32:46He simply buried his face
32:48in my hair
32:48and held me tighter,
32:50as though I were something
32:51he had lost once
32:52and finally found again.
32:54All the defenses I had built,
32:55all the sharp edges I carried,
32:57quietly fell away
32:58within his embrace.
33:01The seventh day
33:02after the wedding,
33:02I reclined langely
33:03on a chaise in the courtyard,
33:05sipping divine wine
33:05from a crystal glass.
33:07Every morning,
33:07Lucien would nourish
33:08the golden apple tree
33:09with his powerful chaos energy.
33:10In just seven days,
33:11it had already grown
33:12several feet taller.
33:13Your Highness!
33:14Cassian and that Lyanna
33:15have come.
33:16They have been kneeling
33:17in the mud
33:17out outside the palace gates
33:18for an hour.
33:19I swirled the amber liquid
33:21in my glass,
33:21a cruel smile
33:22curling at my lips.
33:24At last,
33:25drag them in.
33:26Moments later,
33:27two miserable figures
33:28wrapped in tattered
33:29black cloaks
33:30were thrown into
33:31the courtyard
33:32like refuse.
33:33Cassian reeked,
33:34barely able to stand.
33:37Lyon lay sprawled
33:38on the ground
33:38like a lump of decay.
33:40The skin at her neck
33:42shriveled
33:42and lifeless
33:43beneath her cloak.
33:45Kneel properly.
33:46My voice was cold.
33:48Cassian stiffened
33:49instinctively,
33:50his old arrogance
33:51flickering for a moment
33:52before collapsing.
33:53His knees slammed
33:54onto the marble.
33:54Lyanna did not even
33:56dare lift her head.
33:58Cassian trembled
33:59as he pulled back
34:00his hood.
34:01The face that had
34:02once captivated
34:03countless admires
34:04was now ruined.
34:05His golden hair
34:06had nearly all fallen out,
34:08what remained thin
34:09and ragged.
34:10His pale skin
34:10had turned a sickly
34:11gray-green,
34:12and from his neck
34:13to his cheeks,
34:14slick scales
34:15had begun to grow.
34:15The Heaven's Judgment
34:16had not only destroyed
34:18his divine core,
34:19it had twisted
34:20his bloodline.
34:21He was devolving
34:22into something base,
34:24something like a fish.
34:26Cassian suddenly snapped,
34:27yanking Lyanna's hood away.
34:29Aurelia!
34:30I was cursed
34:30by this wretched woman!
34:32Lyanna let out
34:33a shrined scream,
34:34desperately trying
34:35to cover face.
34:36Too late.
34:37Her face was that
34:38of a withered corpse,
34:39skin cracked
34:40like dead bark.
34:41Sparse white hair
34:42clung to a markled scalp,
34:43her clouded eyes
34:44bulging outward
34:45in a grotesque stare.
34:49Cassian shouted frantically,
34:50It was her!
34:52She cast a vile
34:53love-cursed on me,
34:54clouded my mind.
34:55The one I truly loved
34:56has always been you,
34:58Aurelia.
34:59He struck Lyanna
34:59across the face,
35:01sending her flying.
35:02Then he lunged at her
35:03like a mad beast,
35:05fists raining down.
35:06If it were not for you,
35:08I would not have
35:08lost everything.
35:10Die!
35:10Die!
35:11You are lying!
35:13Cassian,
35:13you said it yourself.
35:14If I helped you
35:15trick a Varian
35:15to giving up
35:16her divine core,
35:17you would make me queen!
35:18Lyanna curled on the ground,
35:19spitting blood
35:20mixed with broken teeth,
35:21her voice sisterly
35:22with hatred.
35:23Shut up!
35:23Cassian roared,
35:24panic flooding his voice.
35:26She screamed back.
35:27What did you say
35:28when you were on top of me?
35:29You said Aurelia
35:30was nothing but a tool to you!
35:32That once you had
35:33her divine core,
35:33you would snap her neck
35:34with your own hands!
35:37Cassian's face
35:38drained of all color.
35:39His fists fell harder,
35:41striking her again.
35:42I will kill you,
35:43you lying ret.
35:45I watched the farce
35:46with mild interest,
35:48until boredom crept in.
35:50Enough!
35:51The word was quiet,
35:52yet carried
35:53absolute authority.
35:55Cassian stopped immediately.
35:56He crawled toward me
35:57on his knees
35:58like a beaten animal.
35:59Aurelia,
36:00you heard it all.
36:01I am innocent.
36:02Give me another chance.
36:03Let me stay by your side.
36:04Lifting his scaled face
36:05in desperate feet,
36:06he reached out
36:07with those webbed,
36:08repulsive hands,
36:10trying to grasp
36:11the hem of my dress.
36:13These were the same hands
36:14that had driven
36:15a blade through my chest.
36:17The same hands
36:18that had held
36:19another woman
36:19while mocking me.
36:21I lifted my foot,
36:22clad in golden armor,
36:24and crushed it down
36:25on the back of his hand.
36:29The crack of breaking bone
36:31rang out,
36:32followed by his scream.
36:33Cassian,
36:34do not hide behind
36:35talk of curses.
36:36That magic only worked
36:37because your heart
36:37was already twisted
36:38by greed for power.
36:39You did not love her,
36:40and you never loved me.
36:42You only desired
36:43my divine core.
36:44In this life,
36:44you have loved no one
36:45but yourself.
36:46His face turned ashen,
36:48his body trembling
36:48as though plunged into ice.
36:50No,
36:51that is not true.
36:52I withdrew my foot
36:53and wiped my boot
36:54with a silk cloth
36:55in disgust.
36:56Get out!
36:57You and your precious nymphs
36:58can rot together
36:59in the mud,
37:00tormenting each other
37:00until there is nothing left.
37:02I waved a hand.
37:03Throw them out.
37:04Spread the word.
37:05Anyone who dares
37:06approaches my palace again
37:08will be executed.
37:09The guards dragged
37:10them away roughly.
37:12Aurora,
37:13you cannot be this cruel.
37:15Cassian's screams
37:16echoed through the corridor.
37:17Lucian stepped out
37:18from the shadows
37:19and,
37:19with practiced ease,
37:20pulled me into
37:21his broad,
37:22warm embrace.
37:24His thumb brushed lightly
37:25against the back
37:26of my neck.
37:27Did that disgust you?
37:29I leaned into his chest
37:30and let out
37:31a quiet breath.
37:32I was just thinking.
37:33In my past life,
37:34he never once spoke
37:35of love to me.
37:36Now that he has fallen
37:37from everything,
37:38he suddenly can't
37:39stop saying it.
37:40Lucian's voice
37:41was low and cold.
37:43Because those cheap lies
37:44are all he has left.
37:46Only cowards beg
37:47with false tears
37:48after losing everything.
37:49I tilted my head up
37:50to look at him.
37:51His sharply defined jaw
37:52was tense,
37:53his dark eyes
37:54devoid of any hunger
37:54for power.
37:55There was only an intense,
37:56unyielding possessiveness
37:57towards me.
37:59Will you always love me?
38:01I looped my arms
38:02around his neck.
38:03He lowered his head
38:04and pressed a burning kiss
38:05to my forehead.
38:08Until the universe
38:09collapses
38:10and time itself ends.
38:14That night,
38:15I dismissed everyone
38:16and entered the heavily
38:17guarded divine treasury
38:18alone,
38:19carrying a lantern.
38:20Moonlight filtered
38:21through the glass dome above,
38:23illuminating rows
38:24of divine artifacts.
38:25These were all items
38:27I had once bestowed
38:28upon Cassius,
38:29now reclaimed
38:30after his fall.
38:31The blade forged
38:32by Hephaestus,
38:33sacred water
38:34from Athena,
38:35the golden apple
38:36of Aphrodite.
38:37My fingers taste lightly
38:38over the cold metal
38:39before finally stopping
38:40on a chain
38:41that glimmermed
38:42with a chilling
38:43silver light.
38:44The God's Bear Chain,
38:45a tool used to bind
38:47and torment
38:48lesser divines.
38:49Once,
38:50Cassian had asked me
38:51for it,
38:52claiming it was
38:52for Lyanna's protection.
38:54I lifted the chain,
38:55weighing it in my hand,
38:57then deliberately
38:58placed it
38:58in the most visible spot
39:00near the ventilation opening.
39:02The next morning,
39:03Myra rushed in,
39:04flustered.
39:05Your Highness,
39:05someone broke
39:06into the treasury
39:07last night.
39:07It was that old witch Lyanna.
39:09She stole a silver chain.
39:10Is that so?
39:11I set down my golden cup,
39:13a knowing smile
39:13curling at my lips.
39:14Let her take it.
39:16The bait has been taken.
39:18Three months later,
39:18a scandal swept
39:19across Mount Olympus
39:20like a storm.
39:22Cassian was dead.
39:23He died in a remote,
39:24barren ditch
39:25granted to him
39:25by Zeus.
39:26His body was found
39:27floating in the foul water,
39:28completely decayed,
39:29reverted to its base form.
39:31A palm-sized golden carp
39:32covered in fresting soils.
39:33The remnants of his divine core
39:34had been forcibly carved out.
39:36The killer was Lyanna.
39:38The powerless nymph had,
39:40under the cover of night,
39:42used the stolen
39:43gods bond chain
39:44to strangle
39:45Cassian
39:46until he stopped breathing.
39:48Then she tore open
39:49his chest
39:49and dug out
39:50the ruined core,
39:51attempting to devour it
39:52to restore her beauty
39:53and power.
39:54But she was a fool.
39:56Cassian's core
39:57had already been destroyed
39:58by the nine-fold thunder trial,
40:00saturated with violent,
40:01chaotic energy.
40:02The moment she swallowed it,
40:04that power erupted within her,
40:05tearing her apart
40:06from the inside.
40:07She died.
40:10Her corpse reverted
40:11to its true form,
40:12a grotesque water spirit.
40:14She sprawled in the foul mud
40:15by the stream,
40:15its shriveled scales falling away,
40:17hollow eyes staring blankly
40:18at the ashen sky,
40:19its mouth and nose
40:19filled with filthy slum.
40:20It was said that when she died,
40:21she still clutched
40:23the godsbane chain
40:24in her hand.
40:25The barbs had pierced
40:26deep into her bones,
40:27fused with her rotting flesh,
40:29impossible to remove.
40:30It was also said
40:30that as she drew
40:31her final breath in the mire,
40:32she cried out for her mother,
40:33the very mother
40:34she had once lured
40:35beast's family to devour,
40:37just to bury her own lies.
40:40When I heard the news,
40:40I was resting in Lucian's arms
40:41beneath the lush canopy
40:42of the golden apple tree.
40:44Myra described the gruesome scene
40:45in vivid detail,
40:46her tone filled with satisfaction.
40:47Lucian set aside
40:48the parchment in his hand
40:49and looked down at me.
40:50What are you thinking,
40:51my princess?
40:51I met his gaze,
40:53my smile bright as dawn.
40:54I was thinking of a joke.
40:55There is a flower
40:56in the mortal world
40:57called Lumina Rose.
40:58Liana loved
40:59adoring herself with it.
41:00Lucian raised a brow slightly.
41:02And?
41:02I have already sent people
41:03to plant fields
41:04of Lumina Roses
41:05all around the muddy pit
41:06where she was buried.
41:07He paused.
41:09Then a low, rich laugh
41:10escaped his chest.
41:11The expression
41:12in his eyes softened,
41:13filled with indulgence.
41:15He reached out
41:16and ruffled my hair.
41:17My princess,
41:18you grow more resistible
41:19by the day.
41:20I smiled and closed my eyes,
41:21resting my cheek
41:22against his warm chest.
41:23Sunlight filtered
41:24through the golden apple tree
41:25and his embrace
41:26felt warmer than the sun itself.
41:27The hatred that had clung
41:28to me across lifetimes
41:29finally faded away
41:30within this quiet,
41:31peaceful world.
41:32Time passed swiftly.
41:33To the gods,
41:34a century was no more
41:35than the blink of an eye.
41:36The golden apple tree,
41:37once regrown from a single branch,
41:39had long since surpassed
41:40its former glory.
41:40Its massive trunk
41:41required three people
41:42to encircle it,
41:43its dense canopy
41:44stretching wide enough
41:45to block out the sky.
41:46The golden fruit it bore
41:47shimmered beneath the sunlight
41:48like countless miniature suns.
41:50Over the past hundred years,
41:51Lucien,
41:52as the first heir
41:52to the throne of storms,
41:54had worked decisively
41:55alongside Zeus
41:56to restore order
41:57to Mount Olympus.
41:58With overwhelming strength
41:59and unyielding justice,
42:01he earned the respect
42:02and awe of every god.
42:03Even Hera,
42:04known for her sharp tongue,
42:05once declared
42:06before the pantheon,
42:07Lucien is more worthy
42:09of that supreme throne
42:10than any other.
42:12The mystery of his origins
42:14had also come to light.
42:16His mother was no mortal woman,
42:18but the last sacred guardian
42:20of the lineage
42:21of the primordial god Uranus.
42:23To escape those who hunted her,
42:25she hid among mortals
42:26with Lucien in her arms
42:27until Zeus's vengeance
42:29he discovered them.
42:30As for me,
42:31my power had undergone
42:32a transformation
42:33after enduring
42:34the primordial lightning
42:35alongside Lucien.
42:37My phoenix flame
42:38and his chaos lightning
42:39fused perfectly,
42:40evolving into something
42:41entirely new.
42:43Thunderflame.
42:43It carried both
42:44the endless vitality
42:46of rebirth
42:46and the absolute destructive
42:47force of chaos.
42:49The storm phoenix.
42:51Every spring
42:51in the mortal world,
42:52Lucien and I
42:53would leave behind
42:53the rigid formality
42:54of Mount Olympus
42:55and wander as we please.
42:56Sometimes we searched
42:57hidden valleys
42:58for trace of Lumita roses.
42:59Other times,
43:00we simply sat side by side
43:01atop a solitary
43:02snow-covered peak,
43:03sharing a flask
43:04of divine wine
43:04as we waited
43:05for the sunrise.
43:06Whenever I grew drowsy
43:07against his shoulder,
43:08he would gently pull me
43:08into his arms,
43:09shielding me from the cold winds
43:11with his cloak.
43:11You are the future
43:12king of gods.
43:13I teased him
43:15more than once.
43:16Why do you spend
43:17your days like a wandering
43:18poet?
43:18Each time,
43:19he would press a soft kiss
43:21to my temple
43:21and give the same answer.
43:23No throne weighs more
43:24than being by your side.
43:25One day,
43:26I stood beneath
43:27the towering golden apple tree,
43:29gazing up at the fruit
43:30that glittered like stars.
43:32Lucien came up behind me
43:33without a sound,
43:35his strong arms
43:36wrapping firmly
43:37around my waist,
43:38his chin resting
43:39against my shoulder.
43:40The scouts have returned,
43:41he said,
43:42his voice low and warm.
43:44In the eastern continent,
43:45the Lumina Roses
43:46are in full bloom this year,
43:48entire mountains covered,
43:50like a sea of violet stars.
43:52Do you want to go see them?
43:56I turned to meet his glaze.
43:58A hundred years
43:59had left no mark
44:00upon his perfect features,
44:02only deepening
44:03the calm authority
44:04that came with power.
44:07Yet the way he looked at me
44:08had never changed.
44:09It was the same
44:10as it had been
44:11on that long day
44:12in the abyss of thunder.
44:13Intense.
44:14Unwavering.
44:15Certain.
44:16Of course,
44:17I said with a smile.
44:19We became two streaks of light,
44:21cutting through
44:21the layered clouds
44:22of Mount Olympus,
44:23crossing the vast,
44:24rolling waves
44:25of the Aegean Sea,
44:26and finally descended
44:27into a quiet
44:27Naemane Valley
44:28eastern continent.
44:29Just as the scouts
44:30had said,
44:31Lumina Roses
44:31bloomed wildly
44:32across the mountains.
44:33Under the soft glow
44:34of moonlight,
44:34their violet petals
44:35shimmered with a dreamlike
44:36radiance,
44:37like a flowing galaxy.
44:38The evening breeze
44:39stirred the endless sea
44:40of flowers
44:40into gentle waves,
44:41their soft rustling
44:42like a lullaby
44:43whispered by the earth itself.
44:44Lucian held my hand firmly
44:46as we walked deeper
44:47into that violet dream.
44:48Aurelia.
44:49He suddenly stopped,
44:50his voice carrying
44:52a rare tension.
44:53What is it?
44:54He turned to face me.
44:55The pale moonlight
44:56traced a silver edge
44:57along his tall,
44:58powerful form.
44:59Then the man
45:00who commanded
45:00the awe of all gods
45:02knelt before me,
45:03carefully,
45:03almost nervously.
45:04He drew out a ring
45:05from within his inner robe.
45:07It was not a divine relic
45:08adorned with jewels.
45:10It was a simple band,
45:11shaped from wood,
45:12its surface carved
45:13with two overlapping leaves.
45:15I cut a branch
45:16from the golden apple tree
45:17and carved this myself.
45:18His ears had turned
45:19faintly red,
45:20and for once,
45:21he avoided my glaze.
45:23It has been a hundred years.
45:25I still owe you
45:26a real wedding ring.
45:27I read the records
45:28of mortals.
45:28In their world,
45:29a ring represents eternity,
45:31without beginning nor end.
45:32At last,
45:33he lifted his eyes
45:34to meet mine.
45:35They burned with sincerity
45:37and quiet longing.
45:38Aurora,
45:39will you marry me again?
45:40Not for the throne of storms.
45:42Not for the alliance
45:43of the divines.
45:44Only because I am Lucian,
45:46and you are Aurora.
45:47I looked at the simple
45:48wooden ring in his hand.
45:49It held none of the brilliance
45:50of the starfall pendant.
45:52None of the sharp perfection
45:53forged by the god of craftsmen.
45:57It was only a piece of wood,
45:58shaped with patience and care
46:00into a circle
46:01that symbolized forever.
46:02And yet,
46:03in that moment,
46:04it was more precious
46:05than any crown in existence.
46:06I slowly extended my left hand,
46:08my voice trembling with emotion.
46:10I will.
46:10His fingers shook slightly
46:12as he slid the ring onto mine.
46:13The rough grain pressed
46:14against my skin,
46:15warm with his touch.
46:16In the next instant,
46:17he rose and pulled me
46:18tightly into his arms,
46:19his hand firm at my waist
46:20as he kissed me deeply.
46:21It was a kiss that bound
46:22soul and flesh together.
46:23Around us,
46:24the lumina roses swayed gently,
46:26their violet glow surrounding us
46:28like a tide of light.
46:29The moon hung high above,
46:30the stars bearing silent witness.
46:32Far away,
46:32the lights of Mount Olympias
46:33fleckered against the night.
46:34The gods might still be celebrating,
46:35the muses still singing,
46:36the fates still weaving
46:37their endless threads.
46:38And I,
46:39after enduring betrayal,
46:40pain,
46:41and fire,
46:41had finally found my eternity
46:42in the arms of the man before me.
46:44Later,
46:44my maid Myra once asked me,
46:46Your Highness me,
46:47you and Prince Lucio
46:48planted another golden apple tree
46:50in the mortal world.
46:51Why does it never grow any taller?
46:52I looked at the wooden ring
46:54on my finger and smiled.
46:55Because it does not need
46:56to grow anymore.
46:58Why not?
46:58She asked,
47:00puzzled.
47:00I never told her the answer.
47:02But I knew it well.
47:03Because a true home
47:05is never a cold palace,
47:06nor a towering divine tree.
47:08A home is a person.
47:10The one who will draw his blade
47:12and stand alone
47:12against the throne of gods
47:14when the world casts you aside.
47:15The one who will protect
47:16your shattered soul
47:17even at the cost
47:18of his own destruction.
47:19The one who,
47:20after gaining everything,
47:21will still carve a simple root
47:22for you with his own hands.
47:23The one who promises
47:24to love you for a hundred years,
47:26a thousand years,
47:27ten thousand years,
47:28and proves it with his life.
47:29The one who wants to do it
47:31The one who wants to do it
47:31is the one who wants to do it.
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