~Chapter 14~
~The stars will fall~
A man, accompanied by a woman, floated through the stormy sky. Lightning flashed, illuminating their figures, and thunder roared across the land.
"Aman!" the priest shouted.
"Romulus!" the crowd roared back.
"Aman!" the priest repeated, louder this time.
"Romulus!" the crowd responded again, their voices rising higher in pitch.
The man drew closer, descending toward the entrance of Bountyreach. He landed, a sinister smile stretching across his face as his gaze locked onto mine. My body froze.
It was Magnus. But that wasn't what terrified me most. Don't get me wrong—Magnus was a frightening man. But what stood beside him shook me to my core—something I never thought I'd see again.
Eliza.
She looked almost exactly like her sister. The same delicate features. The same piercing gaze. But there were differences. Eliza's hair was straight and gray, unlike Ola's. She had no freckles, and her eyes were an icy blue instead of warm hazel. Still, it was uncanny—like someone had photocopied Ola and changed only a few details.
Eliza. The girl I thought had died right in front of me.
Eliza. The girl I had grieved for, night after night.
Eliza. The girl who had pushed me to the cabin that fateful night.
Eliza. The girl I had always seen as my big sister.
She stood there, alive, her bright blue eyes staring directly into mine. My heart raced. My mind refused to believe what I was seeing.
"Eliza…" I whispered, my voice cracking as I fell to my knees.
She didn't respond.
Magnus laughed, a deep, mocking sound. "Old friends reunited at last! How heartwarming," he sneered. "Listen, boy. I've waited for this day longer than your small mind could ever comprehend."
For the first time, Melody hesitated. Her body froze, unable to act.
Magnus sighed and turned back to me. "Let me tell you a story, boy. Two hundred and fifty years ago, Sina committed the greatest sin this land has ever known. She burned down the Tree of Life—a tree that had stood since the dawn of time, its ashes glowing white as it fell. But the story doesn't end there.
"When the tree burned, its true form was revealed: a cage. A prison. And within it was her.
"A group of men carried the statue—yes, the one you saw back at the orphanage—out of Bountyreach. Even Zora, the man who founded this kingdom, was shocked at what emerged from the tree's remains.
"A single girl, bound by roots and branches, lay slumped on the stump. Next to her was a book—a black, withered tome. The very same book you now carry, boy. The book that chose you.
"When Zora opened the book, his body went limp, and he fell into a trance that lasted a year. For 365 days, he sat unmoving, suspended in that otherworldly state. Then, one day, he simply stood, as if nothing had happened. He dusted off his clothes and ordered all the people of Sina to gather.
"When everyone was assembled, a brilliant red light washed over the land. Men, women, children, animals—everything fell into a deep, dreamless sleep for 100 years. The girl was buried deep within the earth, along with the traitors who had betrayed the sacred kingdom of life.
"And do you know where we stand today, boy?" Magnus leaned closer, his eyes burning with intensity. "This is the land of Sina. All the people you see here? They are the betrayed. Punished. Stripped of their magic and their freedom. If any of them so much as attempt to use magic, they burst into flames and die.
"This land is a prison—a cruel punishment for those who wronged the sacred land. But even in this cursed place, hope remains. The children born here can wield magic. And thanks to the church, I discovered this fact. They gave me this information, not out of kindness, but for their own gain.
"For years, I danced to their tune, their pawn in a grand game. But then, 15 years ago, something miraculous happened. A gift beyond measure appeared before me. You, Maddox. You, the one who brought the skies crashing down and set me free."
His smile widened, sharp and menacing. "I thought if I got you close to your friends and killed them in front of you, it would trigger your powers—just like that day in the forest. But it didn't. Even now, with Eliza standing before you, the shock still hasn't worked.
"But don't worry," he said, snapping his fingers.
In an instant, Ola, Ren, Zen, and Athena appeared, dangling lifelessly in front of me. My heart stopped. My stomach churned.
"Stop it!" I shouted, my voice cracking with anger.
Magnus only laughed.
Then a voice whispered in my mind: Free me. Break open this cage. Let me join the rest of the world at once.
"This will be the last time we speak, Maddox," Livana said. "I'll show you everything now. This all began the day you were born. You were always destined to be more than just a mage, Maddox. More than just the key to break Magnus out.
"I will now explain..."
"In the beginning, God had a daughter. Her name was Anadee. She was not born like all others in this world, for she was not like all others in this world.
"God had existed for an unknown time in the void of nothingness, until He decided it was time to form the world as we know it.
"On the first day, He created the stars, the sun, the moon, and the cosmos. But our story doesn't truly begin there. It begins when God stepped onto a barren world called Earth—a world of nothingness.
"On the fourth day, He created the soil, the skies, the winds, the water, and the rain. Yet something was missing. So, He sat and pondered, until He realized what was needed.
"Taking the earth beneath His feet, He sculpted her body. From the seas, He drew water to form her blood. From the fires deep within the land, He shaped her heart. And from the hardest stone atop the highest mountain, He forged her spirit.
"But it was still a shell—nothing more. She had no soul, no spark.
"So, God gave her the breath of life. With it came free will, and all the knowledge He Himself held—the vast knowledge of the universe.
"But there was a problem. Knowledge without wisdom leads only to chaos.
"God saw this flaw in His creation, but He loved her still. She was His child, and He believed she would learn. With her boundless power, she could create anything with a single thought. And she did.
"She created lands of fire and lava, lands of ice, lands filled with endless sand, and lands where acid rained from the skies. She created planets—chaotic, random worlds born from her unchecked imagination.
"God tried to guide her. He taught her restraint, purpose, and balance. He tried to instill wisdom in her young, limitless mind. She listened, or so it seemed. To contain her chaos, she even created a book—a tome she named Loo—to record her thoughts and creations.
"For a time, God was content. She was trying to learn, and that was enough for Him.
"But then, one day, she did something unimaginable. She split the Earth into two halves. On one half, she planted a tree—a tree made of light so powerful it warped reality around it.
"Yet this wasn't the true problem. The problem was that she, like God, tried to create life.
"From the fires, stones, waters, and winds, she shaped two beings. She named them Sun and Moon. But when she breathed life into them, she gave everything she had—her power, her free will, her very soul.
"And so, she died.
"God, devastated by the loss of His daughter, took her essence and bound it within her final creation: the Tree of Light. He buried this half of the Earth deep beneath layers of rock and soil, and took the two beings she had created with Him.
"These beings, Zora and Sina, were the first humans. God raised them, teaching them wisdom and restraint. Sina was eager to learn, obedient and disciplined. She was, in every way, the golden child.
"Zora, on the other hand, was wild and unpredictable. He acted on impulse, driven by pride and passion.
"After countless years, God understood them. He saw the traits they represented—Sina's calculated intellect and Zora's boundless heart.
"But then He destroyed them.
"From their blueprints, He created humanity. Some carried Sina's will: cunning, disciplined, and ambitious. Others carried Zora's: honest, free-spirited, and bold.
"God set humanity in motion, running an experiment—the one you know as the Kingdom of Life.
"But things didn't go as planned. Sina's descendants, though appearing virtuous, harbored deceit and malice. They manipulated, corrupted, and betrayed, hiding wicked hearts behind righteous masks.
"Zora's descendants, for all their flaws, were genuine. They were reckless, stubborn, and prideful, but their hearts were pure.
"In the end, God realized humanity was more complex than He had anticipated. He couldn't simply divide them into good and evil. He created Heaven for those who proved themselves virtuous and Hell for those who succumbed to darkness.
"And that brings us to now, Maddox. Do you know where we are?"
"Veloria," I replied.
"Yes. But think deeper. Where, Maddox, are we truly?"
"Bountyreach," I said, uncertain.
"No, Maddox. Deeper still. Think about mana. Think about everything you've seen. Think."
My heart stopped. "No… There's no way…"
"Yes, Maddox. We are in the depths of Hell."
"This isn't funny, Livana! How is that even possible? What is going on?"
Livana smiled softly. "Maddox, it's been fun. I've stayed as long as I've been allowed. God chose me to guide you. But now I must return home. Do you give me permission?"
"Livana, you don't need to go. Stay here with me!"
"Maddox, please. Do you give me permission?"
Tears streamed down my face. "Yes."
Her smile widened, brighter than ever before. A white light enveloped her. Wings unfurled from her back, pure and radiant. A golden halo appeared above her head.
"We will meet again, Maddox," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "And on that day, the end will play out as it was meant to."
"I love you, Maddox," she whispered, her voice trembling. "My first and only true friend."
With that, she stepped from my shadow into a blinding light, catching Magnus by surprise. The storm dissipated, clouds peeling back to reveal a night sky filled with stars. She ascended, shining brighter than anything I had ever seen, until she took her place among the heavens.
Her final words echoed faintly, soft as a lullaby:
"I'll wait here, Maddox, with the rest… until we can all go home. And remember: when you need me, call for me. When you do, the stars will fall, and He will come down."