Chapter 102: The Past’s Chains
Melissa’s POV
There was anarchy on the battlefield.
Zephyr and Lydia weaved amongst the fighting soldiers like shadows. Every route that led to Kane was blocked by Darius’s devoted cultists. Under the weight of magical bonds, I could hear him straining.
“Kane!” Lydia’s voice was piercing with fear. She raised her hands, directing a dazzling burst of vitality towards the guards separating her from him. They didn’t flinch, though. Their void-like, dark eyes were devoid of hesitancy and dread.
Zephyr tightened his jaw. They are enchanted by blood. Until we destroy the person who bound them, they won’t quit. His eyes strayed to me.
I tensed up. They believed I had done this?
Lydia didn’t think twice. She lunged for the closest guard, drawing a dagger from her belt. He moved with amazing accuracy, dodging with ease. She flew backwards as he slapped his palm against her chest before she could react.
I let out a gasp. Lydia!
She moaned as she struggled to stand, but a second guard had already moved in, his blade up.
Zephyr sent forth a shield of protection and jumped in front of her. He yelled, “Melissa, call them off!” in a desperate tone.
However, I wasn’t in charge of them.
Darius was.
His lips twisted into a sneer as he watched from the steps of the old temple. “Oh, the faithful ones. Always so resolute. He turned to face me, his golden eyes gleaming. “My dear Melissa, what’s causing your hesitation? Give them orders. Get them to kneel.
I balled my fists up. “They are not under my control.”
He grinned more broadly. “Not just yet.”
As his body weakened under the cursed chains, Kane let out a painful groan. His energy was ebbing away, and I could feel his heartbeat slowing.
I wanted to assist him. I wanted to put an end to this craziness. But my inner darkness told me otherwise.
“This must be the case,” Darius said. “Melissa, you’re fighting against your nature.”
“No.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “I’m not this person.”
Darius’s head cocked. Why does it feel so natural, then?
My hands were shaking. A chilling, nauseating reality twisted in my chest.
Because it did in the back of your mind.
The atmosphere surrounding me changed. I was standing amid the wreckage of a war at one point. I was somewhere else the next day.
The world dissolved into golden light and shadows. My name was called in a quiet voice.
“Melissa…”
I pivoted.
In front of me was a woman wearing long, flowing white robes. She had a familiar face, too much like home.
This was a location I knew. In my nightmares, I had seen it before.
The woman grinned, her eyes sorrowful. “You need to remember now.”
I gave a headshake. “Do you recall what?”
The ground beneath us suddenly cracked. Like smoke, darkness coiled about my feet as it seeped through. The visions dissipated as the woman held out her hands.
I thought I was a girl, but I wasn’t.
She was in a large hall with strong creatures all around her. Warriors, kings, and queens. They chanted a name while kneeling in front of her. Not Melissa. Another stuff. Something old.
A heading. A fate.
I looked down at my hands, the girl. They were engulfed in darkness and power. I wasn’t scared, though.
I was grinning.
The vision changed. I saw blood and flames. People are yelling. Cities are collapsing.
And me, in the middle of it all.
I staggered back. “No. I’m not like that.
The woman’s face remained unchanged. “You were always supposed to be the one.”
My eyes were scorched by tears. “Why? Why did I get picked?
The vision mimicked Darius’s voice. “Because serving the light was never your destiny.”
My body jolted back into reality as I gasped. The battlefield reappeared, but the weight of reality made my heart race.
From the steps of the temple, Darius grinned. “You see now, don’t you?”
Yes, I did.
I was also afraid.
I breathed in short, harsh gasps.
The images of the devastation, the strength, and the darkness within me were still vivid in my thoughts.
I felt my chest tighten as I glanced up at Darius. I said in a whisper, “You’re lying.” “It wasn’t real.”
Darius laughed and walked carefully down the temple steps like a monarch making his way to his throne. “You still don’t get it, Melissa.” His enjoyment emanated from his golden eyes. “You are battling an innate part of yourself.”
“No.” I violently shook my head. “I am not that person.”
He came to a stop a few feet away and looked at me almost pityingly. “You truly believe that you were chosen by the light?” He lowered his voice to a chilly murmur. “They were afraid of you.”
I felt the words cut through me.
Darius saw my hesitancy and smiled. They attempted to hide the truth because of this. Why did they let you think you were just another lost soul and reared you among the weak? They wanted you to be unaware of who you are.
My nails were digging into my palms as I balled my fists. “Darius, what am I?”
He grinned more broadly. “The breaker of balance.”
My stomach turned over.
He went on to say, “Your power was never intended to serve the light.” “It was supposed to eat it.”
I shook my head, but I was beginning to have my doubts. Was it because I had been fighting my true nature all along that the visions and the way my magic had always felt too odd and uncontrollable?
Darius took another step forward, his voice as gentle as a blade. Accept it, Melissa. Give up resisting.
Behind me, Kane let out a moan. I turned to see him fighting against the cursed chains, and it broke my heart.
Then he rasped, “Melissa.” “Don’t pay attention to him.”
Darius let out a sigh. “Your little wolf is unable to comprehend.” He is still of the opinion that you can be saved. His gaze grew gloomy. However, we are both aware that it is much too late for that.
I took a deep breath.
Was it?
A chilly wind blew across the battlefield as Darius’s words were starting to take effect.
Around me, the shadows shuddered.
Then her voice came to me.
“Melissa.”
The world around me changed once more as I turned.
I was drawn into a vision for the second time that evening.
I was standing in a silent, moonlit field this time. Rain and lavender filled the air. Far away, fireflies flickered.
Then, I caught sight of her.
A silver-haired woman with violet eyes that gleam. Her gown flowed like mist, and her presence was otherworldly.
She was someone I knew.
I knew her even though I had never seen her before.
“My child,” she said in a sorrowful tone.
My throat constricted. “Who-who are you?”
Deep down, I knew who she was when she took a step closer.
She was my mom.
I had never known such a mother.
My eyes filled with tears. “How…?”
As though she had been waiting forever for this moment, she raised a soft hand and lightly touched my cheek. “This path was never intended for you to travel alone.”
I gave a headshake. “I don’t comprehend. I
Her face grew serious. “You have to escape before it’s too late.”
I tensed up.
I kept hearing Darius say, “Your power was meant to consume the light.”
My mother’s voice, however, was louder.
“My child, despite what they say, you still have a choice.” Urgency blazed in her violet eyes. “Refrain from letting the darkness take you over.”
I took a deep breath. “But what if it’s too late already?”
She tenderly cupped my face. “It never is.”
The vision broke.
My chest heaved as I returned to the battlefield. Darius had a suspicious look in his eyes as he watched me intently.
Kane was still having trouble. Zephyr and Lydia were still at odds.
However, everything seemed different.
Because I was certain of one thing now.
Yes, I had an option.
And I’d have to make it soon.