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