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30 Minutes Before Abi's Death
Emily was taken to the school garden, a peaceful scenery untouched by the chaos unleashed by the demon attacks and the wrath of Asmodues. It was strangely serene, as if nature itself had been spared as a final refuge. The lush greenery glistened under the faint glow of a waning moon, but this beauty only served to heighten Emily's unease.
To her utmost surprise, the demons that had carried her here placed her on the ground with great care, as though she were some fragile treasure. Their movements were calculated, almost reverent, as if harming her would invite catastrophe. Once she was set down, the demons growled lowly, their guttural sounds vibrating the air, before retreating into the shadows, leaving her utterly alone.
Emily remained frozen, her mind reeling from the confrontation with Abigail. Her heart was a battlefield of confusion. Could it be true? Could Abigail, of all people, have fallen for someone with her face? It was an absurd thought, yet it was the only explanation for what had transpired.
Before Emily could gather her thoughts, the ground beneath her feet shuddered violently. She stumbled, falling hard onto her side as the earth itself seemed to groan. A deep fissure began to tear through the garden, dividing it into two. Panic surged through Emily as she scrambled to her feet, sprinting away from the growing chasm with all her might.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed above her. A monstrous creature descended, its wings blotting out the moonlight. Its grotesque form was a blend of scales and smoke, with fiery red eyes that burned like molten lava. Its claws were long and jagged, glinting with a lethal sheen. Before Emily could scream, a hand reached down from the beast's back.
"Come aboard! What are you waiting for?"
Emily's heart stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. Abigail. But what was she doing atop such a horrifying creature?
Abigail's sharp eyes darted to the advancing fissure. "Unless you want to become one with the abyss, get on now!" she barked.
Emily hesitated, staring in terror at the beast, but one glance back at the ground—now surging towards her like a living thing—made the decision for her.
"Fine! But keep me far away from this thing's face, or I might die of shock!"
Abigail smirked, a rare softness momentarily lighting her cold, piercing eyes. Emily felt a strange warmth in her chest; it was one of the few times she had seen genuine emotion from Abigail.
With a firm grip, Abigail hoisted Emily onto the beast. It soared into the sky, carrying them away from the crumbling garden. Below them, the once-beautiful sanctuary was swallowed whole by the chasm.
They landed amidst the ruins of collapsed buildings, the air thick with the acrid stench of smoke and ash. Abigail dismounted gracefully, but Emily hesitated, clinging to her for balance.
"Thank you for saving me," Emily said, her voice trembling. "I know you're not evil, Abi. Just misunderstood. Please, end all this. The killing... I can't bear it anymore."
Abigail's gaze hardened, and she turned her back to Emily. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I've gone too far to stop now. I destroyed the Black Dragons, Emily. I killed everyone—parents, heirs, children—all of them. They're gone because of me."
Emily's breath hitched. "The children, too? Abigail, they were innocent! They weren't the ones who hurt you!"
Abigail's voice wavered, a rare crack in her icy facade. "They were born into a legacy of pain and power. They would have grown up to be just like their parents. I ended that cycle before it began. Don't you see? I'm trying to change the world!"
Emily stepped closer, gently taking Abigail's hands. "Abi, killing won't heal you. It won't undo the past or bring you peace. I know you think you're protecting me, but this path will only lead to more pain. Please, let's find another way."
For a moment, Abigail looked at Emily with something akin to hope. But then her expression darkened. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I was wrong. But it's too late now." Her voice broke. "I killed Alexa. When she fell, she didn't die. I finished her off with rocks and fire. I made sure she was gone."
Emily's knees buckled. The weight of Abigail's confession was too much.
PRESENT
Three Weeks Later
Emily stood before Abigail's lifeless body, her tears falling onto the cold ground. The once-fearsome and proud Abigail now lay motionless, her face pale and peaceful in death.
"Abi, I didn't want this," Emily whispered. "You deserved better. You deserved a chance to heal, to find happiness. I hope wherever you are, it's a place free of pain and hate."
The funeral was a somber affair. Abigail was laid to rest alongside countless other students who had perished in the battle. Ivory High was a graveyard now, a place of mourning filled with shattered hopes and dreams.
CEMETERY 🪦
The cemetery was cloaked in an eerie silence, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves and the occasional distant rumble of thunder. Hadrain knelt before Lamia's lifeless body, placed tenderly atop a moss-covered tombstone. Lamia's translucent form shimmered faintly, fading into the abyss as if the very threads of his existence were unraveling.
Hadrain's hands trembled as he held the Book of Shadows, a tome of forbidden knowledge that reeked of ancient power. His bright golden eyes glistened with tears, his heart heavy with desperation.
"No," he whispered, voice shaking. "I will not lose you. Not now. Not after our promise."
The sky above darkened as he flipped through the brittle pages, muttering incantations in a language long forgotten. His voice grew stronger, reverberating through the cemetery as the air thickened with magic.
"Invocabo umbras tenebrarum et vim abyssum; anima et corpus in unum redintegrabo. Exaudi me, potestas ex inferno, et da mihi amatum meum!"
The Latin spell, ancient and forbidden, tore through the veil between life and death. A gust of icy wind howled through the cemetery, extinguishing all light. The earth trembled violently as dark sigils carved themselves into the ground, glowing with a malevolent green light.
The sky split apart, and a tempest of dark clouds swirled above, forming an ominous vortex. Hadrain stood in its epicenter, his body consumed by a fiery green aura. His screams echoed into the night as he channeled the raw power of hell itself.
Suddenly, an orb of darkness materialized above Lamia's fading body, its surface swirling with shades of green and black. It descended slowly, enveloping Lamia in its shadowy embrace. The tombstone cracked under the immense pressure, and Lamia's once-pale form began to regain solidity.
Just as the spell reached its climax, a deafening clap of thunder shook the earth. From the swirling storm above, a figure descended—a being of unmatched beauty and terror. His long blue hair shimmered like liquid sapphire, and his piercing eyes glowed with a celestial intensity. His wings, vast and feathered in hues of silver and black, exuded a power that froze the air around him.
It was Lucifer, the Morning Star himself, stepping into the mortal plane with an unsettling grace.
"Hello, son," Lucifer said, his voice smooth yet chilling.
Hadrain's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... What are you doing here?"
Lucifer smirked, his presence radiating an aura of authority that made the very earth beneath him tremble. "The balance of nature is delicate, Hadrain. You're meddling with forces far beyond your understanding. Lamia cannot be resurrected—he's a demigod, and his death was fated."
Hadrain's expression darkened, his anguish transforming into defiance. "I don't care about fate or balance! Lamia is my mate, my other half, and I won't let him go. Not again!"
Lucifer's laughter echoed hauntingly, sending chills through the cemetery. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But your actions will bring chaos, not love. Nature will rebel against you, and you will pay the price for this defiance."
With that, Lucifer vanished, leaving behind only his mocking laughter.
---
Hadrain refused to relent. His determination burned brighter than the fires of hell itself. He began chanting again, this time louder, his voice trembling with raw power:
"Vires ex tenebris et inferno; redde mihi animam amati mei! Caro, sanguis, et spiritus, omnes uniuntur!"
The ground split open beneath him, and tendrils of dark energy surged upward, coiling around Hadrain and Lamia like serpents. The air became heavy with the scent of sulfur, and the glow of the dark orb intensified, bathing the cemetery in an unearthly light.
The shadows engulfing Lamia's body began to dissipate, revealing his flesh reforming, his hair cascading down like a crimson waterfall. His pale skin seemed even more luminous, his midnight-blue eyes slowly fluttering open as the spell reached its peak.
"Lamia..." Hadrain whispered, tears streaming down his face.
Lamia's lips parted, his voice soft yet filled with confusion. "Hadrain? What... happened?"
---
THE UNDERWORLD
Meanwhile, in the desolate expanse of the underworld, Damian walked aimlessly along an endless, shadowy path. The air was thick with despair, and the ground beneath his feet felt insubstantial, like walking on the edge of a nightmare.
Out of the darkness, a figure emerged—a man whose face Damian recognized immediately.
"Charles?" Damian called out, his voice echoing eerily.
Charles, once a lively and noble figure, now appeared broken, his eyes hollow with pain and loneliness. "Why are you here? This place... it's no place for the living."
Damian approached him, his expression resolute. "I've come to tell you that your family is waiting for you. Lamia and your wife—they're safe. You don't have to suffer here anymore."
Charles staggered back, disbelief and sorrow etched into his features. "No... You shouldn't have done this. You've sacrificed your soul to bring me peace. Do you even realize what you've done?"
Damian smiled faintly, his resolve unshaken. "For Lamia, I would move mountains. Now go."
Before Charles could protest further, a blinding beam of light enveloped him, lifting him from the darkness and into salvation. Damian watched as the light faded, leaving him alone once more.
Suddenly, the shadows around him coalesced into a monstrous form, and a voice boomed:
"Damian, for your defiance and failure to procreate with your powers granted by the dead witches, you are hereby sentenced to eternal suffering in the Dark Trench!"
A blinding surge of power struck Damian, and his anguished screams echoed through the void as he was dragged into deep dark abyss for forgotten souls and spirits.
---
Back in the mortal realm, Lamia sat up, his eyes filled with confusion and sorrow as he took in Hadrain's tear-streaked face.
"Hadrain... Oh my gosh I thought I will never see you again?" Lamia asked, his voice trembling.
Hadrain embraced him tightly, his heart overwhelmed with relief. "I brought you back. I couldn't lose you, Lamia. Not again love we are hellbound together, and inseparable forever."
Lamia's pale fingers brushed against Hadrain's cheek, his expression both tender and haunted. "You've tampered with forces you shouldn't have. This... this isn't over, I am worried."
Hadrain sighed, " Don't worry darling meanwhile you're now an immortal so you won't ever leave me again in this lifetime."
As the lovers reunited, the world around them seems to hold their breath. On the other hand Lamia mind went to Damian and his sacrifice and he fell into a deep crying frenzy he couldn't believe it Damian was gone never to be seen again. Then the promises him and Damian made resurfaced.
" Always and forever."
The End...
NOTE: A SHORT EPILOGUE WILL DROP BY TOMORROW GUYS 😘😘 MARKING THE END OF VOLUME 1.