Chapter 120: The Last Destiny
Melissa’s POV
The loudest thing I had ever heard was the quiet.
There was silence on the battlefield. No more yelling. No more swords clashing. Only the smell of blood, ash, and loss on the wind.
The land was littered with the bodies of fallen foes and fighters who had fought next to me. The soil itself bore scars, blackened where it had been burned by fire, and fractured where the fiercest fighting had taken place.
With my heart heavy and my hands shaking, I stood in the middle of it all.
It was done.
Darius had left. Instead of storming like an untamed storm, the force inside me had calmed down.
But at what price?
Kane walked next to me, fatigue casting a shadow over his face. His blade was dripping with battle’s last remains, and his armor was scratched.
When he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse. “It’s finished.”
I hardly gave a nod. “Yes.”
But I felt like everything was pressing down on me. What had I done?
Zephyr and Lydia came over. Lydia’s gaze darted over the demolished battlefield, her face pallid. “There are so many dead,” she muttered. “So much was lost.”
Zephyr wiped the perspiration from his forehead and let out a sigh. “And now? Now what?
Nobody knew the solution to the question.
In the distance, the throne remained unaltered, vacant and waiting.
A king was needed for the realm.
And all eyes were on me.
I moved in the direction of the throne. I felt like I was being pulled down by chains around my ankles with every step.
Wasn’t this what I had battled for? To regain authority. To take the lead.
However, I felt nothing as I gazed at that golden seat of authority.
I expected the feeling of victory to be different.
The silence was broken by Lydia. “You ought to accept it,” she uttered quietly. “This kingdom was rescued by you. You are deserving.
Zephyr gave a nod. “The populace needs a strong leader.” Someone who refuses to allow the past to happen again.
I balled my fists up.
I wasn’t that individual.
I had wrecked, but I had power.
I had taken lives as well as saved them.
Would I be the king they required?
Kane moved to stand next to me and kept a close eye on me. No one had ever understood me as well as he did. He was now awaiting my response.
Regulate.
Get out.
Go away.
My head whirled with the options.
I looked up and decided what to do.
Kane took hold of my hand before I could say anything.
He had a tight, almost frantic hold.
“Melissa,” he uttered softly. “You need to know the truth before you make any decisions.”
I scowled. “The reality?”
His jaw tensed as he paused. Then at last he spoke something.
“I was aware.”
I tensed up. “Knew what?”
Kane inhaled deeply. “I knew this was your destiny. A long time before all of this. A long time before we ever met.
My heart was racing. “What are you saying?”
Something raw and sorrowful entered his eyes as he gazed at me. He confessed, “I’ve kept a secret from you.” “A secret that makes all the difference.”
I could feel the ground trembling beneath me.
“Kane,” I said in a whisper. “What did you do?”
A cold wave passed across the air before Kane could respond.
My senses were on edge as I turned abruptly.
There was silence on the battlefield. Too silent.
Then-
A murmur.
Gentle, menacing, and recognizable.
“The end is not here.”
At the periphery of my vision, a shadow shifted.
A form. a presence.
My blood became icy.
Darius had left.
But he had been replaced by something darker.
I took a deep breath.
No.
It wasn’t finished.
Not quite yet.