Chapter 113: I will go.
Raphael's POV
“The rift?” I repeated, my voice filled with confusion and impatience. “What is the rift?”
Drogon’s golden-red eyes flashed with irritation. “It is the veil between worlds. It is known as the path between the living and the dead.” He sounded all knowing. Maybe it was because he was once a guardian in the third realm.
“Ava is being drawn deeper into the spirit realm. Closer to the Ancient One’s domain.” he continues.
The Ancient One. Until now, I never knew there were beings that even the gods of the third realm feared.
The name sent a shudder through my bones, though I refused to show it. Grey groaned, as well.
“What does it want with her?” I demanded.
Drogon’s jaw clenched. “The same thing it has always wanted, power I guess. Ava is its key.”
My fists curled. “Explain.”
He exhaled, his eyes darkening. “Ava’s body remains in this world, but her spirit is slipping further beyond reach. If she is fully consumed by the Ancient One’s darkness, she may never return.”
The words struck a cord inside me. I didn't like the sound of my mate not returning. She belongs here so she must return.
“No,” I growled. “I will not allow it.”
“There is only one way to retrieve her,” Drogon continued. “Someone must enter the rift.” He met my gaze. “Only a divine being or the host of one can do it.”
I understood immediately. He wanted me to go.
I stepped forward. “Then I will go.”
Drogon’s expression hardened. “You do not understand what you risk.”
“I do not care.”
“You should.” His voice suddenly turned more serious. “Grey is the only reason you are connected to the Third Realm. If you go in unprepared, the Ancient One may devour him completely and you may not return as yourself.”
Grey let out a low, dangerous growl. Or I may not return at all. My grip tightened.
“If I do nothing, she is lost.” So I refuse to sit still.
Drogon held my gaze, searching. Then, at last, he nodded.
“Then we prepare.”
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The chamber was cold, the air filled with the scent of burning herbs and old magic. Candles flickered, casting shadows along the stone walls.
At the center, Drogon carved a circle into the ground, ancient symbols glowing as his dragon flame flowed through them.
He performing a ritual to open the rift.
Caleb stood nearby, his arms crossed. “You are certain about this?”
I did not answer. There was no need.
Drogon’s voice spoke through the heavy silence. “Once the portal opens, there will be no turning back.”
I stepped into the circle. “Then open it.”
A low wind vibrated through the ground as Drogon raised his hands, his golden-red eyes burning with power.
The symbols glowed, and the ground beneath me trembled. A tear in the air began to form, spinning with dark energy, an endless void opening it's mouth.
It was the Rift. It was ready. I took a breath and stepped through. Not looking back.
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ava's POV
The air was cold. Wrong in every possible way.
I moved in endless darkness, weightless and cold. Time did not exist here. Past and present twisted together, it felt like it has been years upon years, I have been in here.
I see a figure that looked like him. Raphael. He was standing in the palace, his back to me, his posture rigid. He did not turn.
I ran to him.
“Raphael!” My voice broke, desperate. “I’m here!”
He did not answer.
Instead, he walked away.
No. No, this wasn’t real. This wasn’t...
“Do you see now?” A whisper float around me, soft and calming. But I knew better.
Alasia emerged from the void, her pale face serene, her dark eyes endless pits of evil.
“They have forgotten you,” she murmured. “He has forgotten you.”
Lies. I knew it within me.
I clenched my fists, shaking my head. “No.”
Alasia smiled. “You saw it yourself.”
The scene shifted. Gwen and Anastasia stood together, speaking in hushed voices. I tried to call to them, but my voice did not reach. They did not look at me.
No. She is lying. It's all lies.
Alasia’s voice dripped with honeyed venom. “You are fading, Ava. Soon, even you will not remember who you were.”
I pressed my hands to my head, willing the whispers away. The air grew colder. Something stood in the darkness, eyes shining red and watching.
Alasia called the entity the Ancient One.
A formless void, its presence wrapped around me, whispering in a thousand voices. It wanted me. It wanted my body. It wanted to destroy Raphael.
No. I will not allow him do that.
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raphael's POV
The moment I entered the Rift, I knew the place was not meant for weak beings. It vibrated with an unnatural energy. The air burned cold, yet my blood felt too hot.
Grey moved restlessly inside me. 'We should not be here.' he growls.
A presence flashed through the darkness. I felt it to my bones that it knew me. It recognized me.
A deep voice, rumbled through the darkness. " You do not belong here, god-thing." He snarled. It was a thousand voices in one.
For a moment, fear hooked me. This was the ancient one that Drogon spoke about. Then I feel her presence. And fear vanished at once.
She was close. I could feel her. I try running in the direction where I feel her most.
A sudden force slammed into me. My body seized, and my vision blurred. The Rift shook and for a second, I battle to balance myself.
Grey roared, flashing out with raw power, forcing the darkness to retreat. Alasia appeared before me, her expression cold.
“You do not belong here, Raphael,” she said calmly. “Turn back, and I may still grant you mercy.”
I bared my teeth. “You will grant me nothing.”
Her eyes darkened. “Then you will suffer.”
She attacks swimming her dark energy at me. Our powers clashed, light and darkness colliding in violent bursts.
I struck forward, but Alasia vanished, reappearing behind me. She was fast, but I was faster.
A flash of silver. My claws slashed through empty space. Then, I saw her, Ava. Walking aimlessly and looking lost.
She was fading, her form barely holding together, her eyes unfocused.
I moved toward her, but the ancient one moved forward, the darkness itself stretching to devour her.
"No!" Grey unleashed a deafening roar, his divine power that had been laying dormant broke out from my body. The darkness gave way once again the ancient one also known as the dark one, vanished with the void.
I lunged, grabbing Ava’s wrist. Her soul was cold, no warmth. She barely reacted.
“Ava,” I growled. “Look at me.”
Her gaze lifted, dazed. “Raphael?”
The darkness trembled. The dark one struck again. This time, I did not hesitate.
Gripping her tightly, I pulled her against me and forced us both out of the Rift.
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