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