Chapter 111: The Cost of Domination
Melissa’s POV
Unbearable energy swelled like fire in my veins and raced through my body. Around me, the battlefield became indistinct, and white light dominated my vision. My ears were overwhelmed with a loud noise as the air crackled.
I was getting out of control.
The commotion was broken by Kane’s voice. “Hey, Melissa! No-!
However, it was too late.
Everything was engulfed by the explosion of force within me. I felt as though I were being pulled away from reality itself, weightless. In the brightness, my body dimmed, and then-
Nothing.
Not a sound. No battleground. No pain.
Nothing but quiet.
I opened my eyes after that.
I was no longer on the battlefield. I was surrounded by an empty environment. A gray mist swirled in the wide, infinite emptiness that stretched in every direction. I felt no weight, but my body floated. I have no ground beneath me. No sky.
I felt a chill go down my back.
“Where am I?” My voice reverberated, distant and empty.
A deep, knowing laugh echoed through the room. A figure emerged from the shifting mist, a tall, black creature shrouded in darkness and stardust. Although its face was concealed, its glittering eyes seemed to be peering directly into my soul.
“Child of the moon, you have taken your first step,” the figure remarked in a silky, age-old voice.
My throat tightened with each breath. “Who are you?”
The figure remained silent. Rather, it floated nearer, the fog circling its shape.
“You are not yet aware of the repercussions of your sacrifice.”
I felt a surge of frustration. “What are the repercussions?” I balled my fists up. “I took the necessary action! I put a stop to the war! I ruined Darius!
For a minute, the mist grew thicker and pressed in around me while the creature cocked its head.
“Did you?”
My heart was racing. I felt sick to my stomach because of the way it spoke. I recalled that final scene on the battlefield: Darius dissolving to dust, the heavens rupturing, the air heavy with strength. Nevertheless, something had felt off.
A chill of fear took hold of my chest. My voice was quieter now, but I still repeated, “I saw him disintegrate.”
The figure’s silver eyes became more radiant. “But something still lingers, doesn’t it?”
The memory of Kane’s frantic voice struck me like a knife to the heart. The way that even after Darius had fallen, the energy continued to spark in the air.
I took a deep breath.
No.
No, it is not possible.
The silhouette drew nearer. Melissa Cade, the battle is far from done. It’s just getting started.
I felt a searing pain in my chest. There was no wound, only an intolerable, searing feeling deep within me, nevertheless I gasped and gripped my heart.
It wasn’t combat agony.
There was more to it.
Something incomplete.
As the anguish traveled throughout my body, I found it difficult to breathe. I had the impression that something inside of me was disintegrating. The mist tightened like a prison around me as it whirled more quickly.
“What am I experiencing?” I muttered.
With those gleaming eyes, the creature watched me without moving. “You’re waking up.”
I gave a headshake. “No. My strength has already been awakened.
The figure hummed low and amusedly. “You believe that your power is limited to this?”
My stomach churned with chilly horror. “I don’t get it.”
A hand was raised by the figure. The battleground materialized in front of me like a spectral image as the mist changed once more. Where I had stood, I could see the soil had scorched. The warriors, stunned and immobile. Lydia’s eyes widened in terror as she covered her lips.
Then I noticed Kane.
His palms rubbed into the charred ground as he knelt where I had disappeared. His shoulders were stiff, his head bent.
“Kane…” My voice broke.
Kane abruptly raised his head, his eyes ferocious, as though he could hear me. I was unable to hear the words as his lips moved. Then, as though something had hit him, he jerked back, his face contorted in agony.
I saw it at that moment.
There was a deep, unnatural blackness that surged through the dirt beneath Darius’s remains. It was there, growing, spreading, though faint.
“No,” I murmured.
It was intended that Darius would be gone. I had ruined him.
Had I not?
My vision vanished as the mist surrounding me grew thicker. With my heart pounding in my chest, I turned to face the man. “Tell me what’s going on!”
The glittering eyes of the figure shone. “You are aware already.”
I gave a headshake. “No, I-”
However, I was aware.
I sensed it.
Darius was still alive.
The conflict had not ended.
Worst of all, the power within me continued to expand.
My nails were digging into my palms as I balled my fists. “What am I supposed to do then?”
The figure advanced one more step. “Be open to the truth.”
The mist whirled more quickly, encircling me and drawing me down into its depths. I made an effort to resist, but my body remained immobile.
The voice of the person, speaking in my head, was the last sound I heard before everything darkened once more.
“You have only just started to realize the real struggle that lies ahead.”
Around me, a thick hush descended. Even though my body felt weightless, I was no longer floating. I was suddenly standing in a huge, limitless void where the mist had dissipated.
As I attempted to process what had just transpired, my heart raced. I had been fighting one minute. Power had consumed me the next day, and now… I had no idea if I was still alive.
“Where am I?” Small against the void, my voice reverberated.
The voice of the ancient person repeated, “You are in the space between.” It was steady and serene, but it contained an unintelligible content.
“The gap between what?” I insisted.
A peculiar sensation swept through my chest as the stranger moved closer. Not unpleasant, not menacing-just… strong.
“The void between the past and the future.”
My breath caught. “I don’t get it.”
The stranger looked at me for a long time before continuing. Melissa, you were never intended to be only a queen. You were never intended to merely dominate or demolish. No title or conflict can compare to your destiny.
I scowled. “But to bring my pack back into balance, I was selected to lead it.”
From the figure came a low hum. “And you have done well, but balance is never truly restored. Like the tides, it changes. Similar to the moon.
I took a deep breath, feeling a chill.
“So, what should I do now?”
The area surrounding us changed as the stranger held up a hand. All of a sudden, I was encircled by fading pictures-memories, visions of the past and future coming together. I saw a glimpse of my mother’s face, her kind grin turning to grief. Through the battleground, I caught a glimpse of Kane’s desperate golden eyes as he reached for me. Beneath Darius’s ashes, I could see the darkness rising, curling like smoke, ready to re-form.
I let out a gasp. “No… Darius has left. I sensed him shattering.
The voice of the figure sounded low. “Did you?”
I shook my head and clenched my fists. “I-I believed so. I did everything I could to stop him.
However, the figure tilted its head and said, “Power does not just disappear.” It changes.
I came to a chilly revelation.
Darius wasn’t destroyed by me.
All I had done was scatter him.
And he was changing now.
My chest was scratched with terror. I thought it would put an end to the war, so I had sacrificed myself. However, I had just postponed it.
My legs were weak. “What happens now, then?”
The glittering eyes of the figure shone. You have to make a choice now. Do you go back to your previous world? Or do you accept who you were destined to be?
My throat constricted. “And what is that?”
Leaning closer, the figure spoke the words that would make all the difference.
“Melissa, you are the link between worlds. The secret to what happens next is you.
I felt a chill go through me.
The secret?
Even so, what did that mean?
I had no opportunity to inquire. Before I could react, I was falling as the area around me shattered like glass.
The voice of the distant but solid figure was the last thing I heard.
“Make an informed choice.”
My eyes snapped open and I let out a quick gasp. I became aware that I was lying on the hard, chilly ground as my body jerked.
I had returned.
However, something didn’t feel right.
Blinking against the dazzling moonlight, I sat up. There was silence on the battlefield. The destroyed terrain was littered with the bodies of fighters, both friendly and hostile. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and smoke.
Then I heard a chilly, low laugh.
I felt sick to my stomach.
I turned my head slowly in the direction of the source.
Darius.
He was a different person. His physique seemed different, his shape fluttering like a shadow trying to form. But his eyes, those ruthless, scorching eyes, met me with twisted laughter.
“Did you think you could get me gone?” His voice was a jumble of whispers and echoes.
My heart was racing.
No.
No, this is not possible.
From a distance, Kane’s voice could be heard. “Melissa, leave him alone!”
However, I was immobile.
Darius stepped forward slowly, his body still alternating between smoke and solid.
He mocked, “You gave everything.” “But here I am nonetheless.”
Below us, the ground shook. Kane and the others ran to me, but Darius raised his hand before they could get to me. Everyone was knocked back by the explosion of a dark energy pulse.
The wind howled all around us, and I was scarcely able to stand upright.
Darius smiled. “You ought to have completed the task.”
With power rushing through me, I gritted my teeth. “I’ll.”
He laughed. “We’ll see.”
Then he disappeared in a haze of blackness.
A sharp breath came out of my mouth. The conflict had not ended.
It was only getting started.