Chapter 91: I will burn everything
Raphael’s POV
The moment my kingdom came into view, my heart flooded with something close to relief.
Ava. She was waiting for me. I knew it. I could feel it. I could finally hold her in my arms. Warm not cold.
The thought of her, her soft voice, her piercing blue eyes, and the warmth of her presence kept me sane during the war.
Every night, I imagined holding her in my arms again, feeling the life within her, erasing the memory of the black veins that had marred her perfect skin.
Grey was restless. His excitement mirrored mine, his presence a thrum of energy beneath my skin. He wasn't no more the bloodthirsty beast that had been craving for blood on the battlefield.
He was just a happy beast looking forward to his lover's embrace.
“We’re home,” he whispered, his voice vibrating through my mind like a happy child. For a moment, I thought he would howl in happiness.
Yes. Home.
I urged my horse forward, my troops following closely behind. The banners of my empire flapped against the wind, my soldiers marching in unison. Caleb was already at the gates, awaiting my arrival, his expression grim.
Something was wrong. Ava. I urged my horse forward. No. Not my mate.
As I rushed forward, I saw an upcoming issue in the way Caleb's lips were pressed into a thin line. The way his fingers twitched as if he was barely holding himself together.
I slowed my horse.
“Caleb.” My voice was calm, too calm. A storm before clear cloud. I could feel powers whipping around me, an undercurrent of Grey's power and mine charging through me.
His gaze flickered to me, then away. Not answering my greetings. I felt my heart pound harder.
"Tell me," I commanded. There was no need for mincing words.
Caleb hesitated. "The kingdom has turned against you, Raphael."
Silence. A slow, deafening silence. Then, laughter. Low, humorless. My own.
"Excuse me?"
"They believed you would die in battle," Caleb said, voice tight. "The warlock clan, the witch clan, and half of the Mage clan have joined forces. They moved while you were gone. They…they stole Ava's body. Princess Allora tried to stop them, but they nearly killed her. She’s barely clinging to life."
The world narrowed. My vision darkened at the edges. And all saw was red. Grey was roaring inside me. A second, maybe, before I would snap.
Ava’s body… stolen. My Ava was gone. I did not move. Couldn't speak. Something inside me cracked. I had finally accepted my fate. The fates the gods were throwing my way.
Then, I smiled. A slow, cruel smile.
"I see."
A storm was coming. A hurricane that would drown everything in blood and I will gladly burn everything to the ground.
Grey growled his fury razor-sharp against my mind, ready and clamouring for destruction.
"KILL THEM. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"
"Where are they?" My voice was ice, a deadly whisper. I was holding myself back because of Caleb and the innocent people behind him but I don't know how long I will be able to.
Caleb swallowed hard. "We have already subdued some rebels, but the leaders..."
I did not wait for him to finish.
I dismounted in one swift motion, my sword already unsheathed. The heavy weight of it felt right in my grasp, an extension of my wrath.
"They dared take what is mine," I murmured. "I will show them what it means to betray me. And there will be no mercy." I turned to look at Caleb, my eyes telling him not to stand in my way.
Caleb bows, not first saying something. " Think about the innocent citizens of Lystra, that's all I ask."
" I can not promise anything, Caleb. I have tried my best," I said quietly, my voice betraying my tiredness.
I entered the city with my troops and it was in chaos. My soldiers were already fighting back the traitors, but the battle was far from over. The warlocks and Mages had created barriers to block our entrance into the palace.
Fools. I did not need an entrance.
With a single wave of my hand, blue flames erupted from my fingertips, consuming the barrier in an instant. The people screamed, twisting as it was devoured by my power.
I stepped forward. Blood. Screams. The scent of burning flesh. The warlocks fell first. Their dark magic was powerful, but I was stronger.
The witches tried to flee. I slaughtered them before they could take another step. The Mages fought the hardest, but they, too, crumbled.
It was not a battle. It was an execution. But none of it mattered.
Ava was still gone. Gone to where I know not. Snatched from me just like her life was being snatched from her.
I reached the throne room. Bodies littered the floor, the scent of death thick in the air.
I turned to Caleb, my vision blurred with rage.
"Where is she?" I still didn't believe it. I had trusted my mate with him.
"We don’t know." He croaked out. Useless. He was useless. I didn't know who was speaking. But Caleb has failed me.
My breathing was uneven. The room vibrated around me, my powers trembling on the edge of destruction.
Grey’s voice snaked through my mind.
“Burn it.” he roared. Yes.
If Ava was lost to me, then nothing else mattered. I raised my hand. Flames roared to life, licking at the walls and curling around the throne.
I would burn this kingdom to the ground. I will erase everything. Lystra would no longer exist. This world will not exist. The gods will not exist.
But then—
"Your majesty!" A voice called out. It was a familiar voice. I turned and I saw Gwen.
She stepped forward, blood on her face, her expression torn between desperation and fury.
"Enough," she snarled. "If you do this, you will never find her. They will come for you."
The flames faltered.
I turned to face her. "They took her."
"I know." Her voice softened, just slightly. "But burning everything will not bring her back. Think, Raphael. If you lose yourself now, you will never see her again. The moon goddess. She will never forgive you."
She was right. Damn it all, she was right.
I clenched my jaw, my hands trembling at my sides. Slowly, I lowered them. The fire vanished. The smoke cleared.
But the war was far from over.
Ava was still gone. And I would not stop until I found her.
I turned back to address Gwen again but she was gone.
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