Chapter 123: You are back?
~Ava's POV ~
It’s been three weeks since my return to Raphael. Since I was sealed inside the lantern.
Every single moment of those three weeks, after he woke up, I was with him. Right beside him.
He never let go of the lantern. Not even for a second. Almost like, he was scared I would disappear.
Every morning, when the sun rose and the light poured into our chamber, I would feel the warmth of his arms. He held the lantern like it was me, his soul, his heartbeat. And maybe, to him, it was.
Sometimes, I would see his eyes open slowly, looking down at the lantern with a kind of love that broke me open from the inside.
He never smiled, but the sadness in his eyes wasn’t as heavy when he looked at me. He whispered things too. Soft things. Things like, " Good morning, my little eye."
“I miss you.” Or, “Just a little longer, my love.” But Raphael wasn’t the same man I once knew.
I had heard from the whispers in the wind, from Drogon’s murmurs to Caleb and from what my soul could feel through the bond, Raphael and Grey had merged.
Raphael was no longer just Raphael. And Grey was no longer just Grey. They were one now.
One being. One soul. One body. How is that possible? I wish I knew.
Sometimes, I would hear Grey’s voice when Raphael spoke. Other times, I would feel the intensity of Raphael’s emotions when Grey’s eyes stared into nothing.
It confused me. It scared me a little. But I didn’t ask questions. I promised myself I wouldn’t.
Why?
Because I saw how hard he tried. I saw the struggle in his clenched fists. The trembling in his body when he tried to control whatever lived inside him now.
And every single day, Drogon was there.
He trained Raphael tirelessly. Morning till night. Teaching him how to breathe. How to hold back his powers. How to not explode.
All for one day, the full moon. The night everything would change. The night they were preparing for.
And now… that night had come.
It was late. The palace was quiet, the air filled with magic. I could see everything.
My body… it had been moved from the palace.
It lay outside, in a wide field outside the palace, under the open sky. The moon hung full and round, casting silver light across the grass. They looked richer like they were being nurtured by the moon.
They also drew a circle beneath the moon. A wide, ancient symbol that glowed faintly with silver marks. My body was placed in the centre of the circle, still and pale, as if asleep.
Around me stood the Fae children. The ones Alasia had cursed.
To think they had once been beautiful, wild happy children of the forest. But now, they looked like broken pieces of magic, roughly put together in a hurry.
They hummed softly, voices blending together in an enchanting melody. Their song was strange but lovely. A lullaby of another world.
There were other people as well. I saw a woman I didn’t recognize. She looked familiar but distant.
Then I saw another, and this time, I remembered her. She was the Princess of the Netherlands. The one Callie had said was supposed to marry Raphael.
I saw Callie. Sweet, loyal Callie. And then… I saw her. My Gwen. My pumpkin. My little angel. She looked different as well. In fact, they all looked different. I wondered what changed.
Gwen was standing so close to my body, her little hands glowing faintly with green light. Her eyes were full of tears, but she was humming along with the Fae children. Like she knew exactly what they were saying.
I saw Anastasia standing tall, her arms crossed but her face soft.
And Drogon… stood closest to my body, his tall figure standing guard over my body. As though scared someone would snatch my body.
From the corner of my eyes, I found him. My mate. He stood apart from the rest, his grey eyes locked on my body, his fists balled at his sides.
He was nervous and terrified, even I saw the sweat on his brow, not warm and wet, but icy. Literal drops of ice slid down his temple.
And then, slowly, the thin mask of frost began to form on his arms and shoulders and everywhere on his body. He was scared of that; he was losing control.
Drogon stepped toward him and whispered, low and calm, “Control your fear. If you don’t, it will destroy all. Not just you. It will destroy everyone. Control your fear, Raphael.”
Raphael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And just like that, the ice began to melt. He was learning. He was fighting the fear.
Drogon gave him one last look, then nodded.
“It’s time,” he said.
Raphael stepped into the circle.
My body glowed under the moonlight, my silver strands of hair light against the grass.
The lantern was placed gently on my stomach, right over my heart. Drogon took a blade and sliced his hand.
Raphael did the same. They reached out and joined hands, their blood mixing together and dripping onto the lantern.
Red against silver. Magic against flesh.
Drogon began to chant in a language I didn’t understand. It was the old language. I had heard it countless times from As Alasia. Drogon's voice echoed across the field, through the trees, into the stars.
The blood glowed as it soaked the lantern. The hums of the Fae children grew louder, richer, and deeper.
And then… something began to happen.
I felt it.
I was glitching. That’s the only way I could describe it. Like I was breaking between this world and the next.
My soul trembled. My thoughts blurred. I could feel the push and pull of life trying to take me back.
I didn’t know if it would work. I didn’t know if I would survive. But I knew I was going back to him.
And that was enough. My eyes shut on their own. And I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, everything felt heavy. My head, my limbs and my breath. But I kept trying to open my eyes.
I blinked once. Twice.
Light. And then… him.
He was resting his head beside me on the bed, his face buried in the sheets, one hand wrapped around mine.
I stared at him. At his messy white hair. At the tightness in his jaw. Softly, he was breathing.
He looked exhausted. But peaceful. A deep ache opened in my chest. I wanted to hold him. Touch him. Bury myself in him.
I had missed him so much.
My voice came out weak and soft, barely a whisper.
“You’re here…”
His eyes flew open.
He sat up, looking down at me with disbelief and raw emotion shining in his grey eyes.
“You’re back,” he whispered. His voice cracked. “Y-you are finally back.”
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