Chapter 130: The Final Battle of the Queen
Melissa’s POV
The shifting form of the dark deity reflected the golden fire in my eyes. Ancient and overwhelming power rushed through my veins, yet I will not bow.
I stood straighter than before and looked up at him. “I recall every detail.”
The dark god smiled. “All right. Then you are aware of your place.
I felt the energy hum beneath my skin as I tightened my hands. Indeed. It’s not by your side, either.
His gloomy features flashed with annoyance. Melissa, you can’t deny who you are. You are not only a fighter. You’re not just a Luna. You are-
My voice was forceful as I interrupted, “My name is Melissa Cade.” “And I make my own decisions.”
His face grew serious. “What a dumb girl. This power was meant for you. You have the right to use it.
“I acknowledge that,” I said. “But I won’t give it to you.”
The ruins shook as the wind howled all around us. Tension seemed to crackle in the air itself. I didn’t flinch even though I could feel the wrath of the evil deity bearing down on me.
An echo of the past echoed in my thoughts, a recollection said quietly. The throne on which she sits does not make a queen. Her decisions shape who she is.
I inhaled deeply as generations’ worth of weight began to descend upon me. It was my destiny, this power. But I had to mold it.
I raised my hand and pushed aside the encroaching darkness with a ripple of golden energy. The dark god’s eyes narrowed as his form wavered.
“You wouldn’t accept your heritage?” His tone was abrasive, tinged with a sense of incredulity.
“I would revise that.” Unfazed, I looked him in the eye. “My fate is not you. Yes, I am.
The air echoed with a low snarl. “So you’ve made up your mind.”
Around him, the shadows grew darker and smeared across the remains like ink. The odd storm that was building overhead caused the sky above to twist and crackle with lightning.
The blackness surged at me, and I braced myself.
When the evil god’s strength collided with mine, the battlefield rocked with a thunderous boom.
I held steady, golden energy searing against the shadows, even if the ground splintered beneath my boots. Even though I could hear the war breaking out behind me-wolves fighting, metal ringing, battle cries-I continued to concentrate on the adversary in front of me.
A recognizable voice then broke through the confusion.
“Elissa!”
Kane.
After a brief moment of turning, I saw him standing there, bloodied but unflappable. When his eyes met mine, I saw resolve instead of fear.
He stepped up and remarked, “You’re not doing this alone.”
Lydia showed up beside him, bowing. “We battle together.”
With a sly smile on his lips, Zephyr landed next to them, his claws dripping with darkness. In addition, I would hate to miss the enjoyment.
When I saw them-my partner, my friends, and my family-my chest constricted. They were more than simply standing beside me. I had chosen them, and they were selecting me.
I raised my chin and looked back at the dark god. “You desired war?” I made a call. “Then let’s get it done.”
With a growl, the black deity held up his hand. With their luminous eyes focused on us, the shadows surrounding him contorted into hideous beings.
Then they ran.
The first to move, Kane shifted mid-leap and struck the closest beast. Lydia’s arrows poured down with deadly accuracy, striking true. With a ferocious war cry, Zephyr ripped through the creatures.
I took a step forward and called forth my might.
With a burst of golden vigor, I confronted the approaching darkness.
The conflict had already started.
There was anarchy on the battlefield.
As my golden force burned through another dark entity, its shape vanished into black vapor. All around me, Zephyr, Lydia, and Kane were fighting with all of their might, their movements lethal and precise.
The black deity, however, had remained still.
He watched from the middle of the ruins. Awaiting.
My chest began to feel deeply uneasy.
Then he started talking.
His voice was a poisoned whisper that twisted through the air as he said quietly, “You fight so bravely.” “However, do you even know what you’re fighting for?”
I squinted. “I’m fighting for something that I know exactly.”
He shook his head and laughed. “No, tiny queen. You don’t.
Darkness rushed upon me before I could even respond. It pulled me forward by encircling my wrists. I fought, attempting to escape, but this magic was different.
I had it inside me.
I felt it slipping into my head, whispering old phrases I couldn’t understand, and my breath caught.
Then, visions.
A woman with golden fire in her eyes, standing atop a battlefield. Her head was a crown of fire. A whole kingdom bowed down to her.
Me.
But distinct. chilly. Detached. Not a fighter, but a ruler. Not a buddy, but a queen.
I kept hearing the voice of the dark god.
“You were destined to be this. The war goddess. “The queen of all.”
“No,” I shook my head in shock. “I’m not that.”
“Not just yet,” he clarified. “But it will be.”
I gritted my teeth and pushed my strength out. The shadows flinched back, separating like a charred hand. I staggered back, panting.
In an instant, Kane was there to support me. Melissa? What took place?
The understanding struck me like a stone as I raised my eyes to the dark god.
“He’s not attempting to murder me,” I said. “He’s attempting to manipulate me.”
Kane’s hold became more firm. “That won’t take place.”
All the evil deity could do was smile. “Isn’t it?”
The battlefield froze as he waved his hand. The shadow creatures took a step back. The air itself seemed to be still.
The dark god said, “I’ll give you a choice, Melissa.” “You will prevail if you strike me down.”
I scowled. “So why would you make the offer?”
His grin got bigger. “Because you will forever lose your humanity if you do.”
The ensuing hush was deafening.
I sensed everything-Zephyr’s said curse, Lydia’s fast intake of air, and Kane’s steadying presence at my side.
My heart was racing.
Would I turn into what I had seen in that vision if I eliminated him? A queen without affection or warmth?
The god of darkness cocked his head. “Are you prepared to bear the cost?”
I took a deep breath.
Then my sword came up.
The sky itself breaks as Melissa raises her sword in Scene 4’s last cliffhanger, with lightning crackling overhead.
The ruins shuddered under my feet.
Power surged through me as I raised my blade, and the sky-broken.
And the skies themselves broke apart with a thunderous crash.
The darkness below was struck by the golden light that streamed down. Energy, fire, and magic exploded across the battlefield.
The black god remained still.
All he could do was chuckle.
And his words reverberated like a premonition in my thoughts as the heavens broke.
“Little queen, you cannot change who you are.”
Everything was consumed by the light.
Then there was darkness.