Chapter twenty-nine
The fire that erupts the hope
A soft breeze rustled the leaves on the ground.
A glow of pure golden light sprayed quietly toward a peninsula, where a large house stood silently and mournfully in the center.
Inside, three shadowy figures were kneeling on the ground, their face buried in wet handkerchiefs, their eyes watery.
They surrounded a body covered by the white sheets.
Pure, saintly glows glittered on his peaceful, serene face, a tiny, imperceptible smile etched on the corner of his mouth.
“At least he is free from further torture now,” groaned Elizabeth, raising her head. She felt something stuck in her throat, and an unknown kind of grief and sorrow overwhelmed her.
Then, Elizabeth heard distant screams and wails surrounding her, echoing in her ears: how Veronica muttered her last word to Elizabeth in pain; how Josephine sacrificed her own life to Elizabeth; how Victoria screamed for Elizabeth to stay safe and happy before being consumed; how Lucius suffered and died for his true love to have a better life; and Elizabeth just found it harder and harder to bear grief, especially someone else’s grief.
“Elizabeth, what’s good to live with my other half ruined and destroyed?” asked Penelope in a trembling voice.
Elizabeth didn’t know what to say. Percy, sitting beside her, held her hands silently; his palms were warm, and it gave Elizabeth an unknown kind of hush, a hush of love, a hush of courage, a hush of resilience, a hush of will, a strong will to survive, to revenge…
“Happy birthday, Eliza.” Whispered Percy quietly.
Yeah, it was her twenty-second birthday, and she had almost forgotten about it.
Elizabeth reached into her inner pockets and held out the jewels. Their wonderful multi-colored lights emanated from their surfaces and swirled softly inside Elizabeth’s palms, blending with the blazing blue flames that had just erupted from her fingertips.
The sun rays outside were beaming through the windows, sending a warm glow across the room.
“Let’s do it, let’s rebuild glory, let’s raise the Interstellar Crown, let’s save Alfheim from the Fairy Lord.” Whispered Elizabeth with determination.
“Do it, Dolores.” Her friends whispered back, their bodies leaning forward, their eyes glued to the jewels.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to mutter.
“Lord of the sky, lord of the sea, lord of all beings. I’ve prepared to fight, I’ve prepared to die. I’m ready to take back what should be ours. I’m ready to destroy and shatter evil. I shall save those who suffered in the darkness, I shall kill those who dedicate their lives to evil.”
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Beams of golden light shot from each jewel, and the jewels were lifted into midair by an invisible hand. They swirled and twirled overhead. Slowly, the jewels evaporated above her head, turning into glorious vapor that continued to swirl. The sunbeams outside connected with the mist. And just at the same time, Elizabeth, Penelope, and Percy, with their hands held together, began to sing, low and slow, deep and majestic, mysterious and holy; their voices echoed the whole living room.
Then, with a loud bang, everything broke into silence, complete silence. As if nothing in the world was moving, no sounds came from anywhere.
The room was quiet, but a weird kind of surprise and hope filled the gaps of loss and trauma everywhere.
An exquisite crown appeared directly above Elizabeth’s head. She smiled, her eyes beaming; it was time to avenge.
Penelope and Percy stared at the crown, the jewels embedded within it emitting a faint glow in the sunlight. Elizabeth snapped her fingers, causing the crown to descend, spinning and twirling as it gently settled upon Elizabeth's head, igniting sparks that danced across the sky.
Beaming at her friends, Elizabeth picked up her dagger and headed toward the hallway.
Every large window emitted sunlight onto the thick mattresses below, and the seaweeds decorated the walls began to dance with the ripples in the adjacent ocean.
Hope was coming.
But evil didn’t fade.
Suddenly, Elizabeth smelt something burnt. Following the note, she found a little door at the top of the stairs, the door that seemed to lead to a hidden attic.
Climbing upwards, Elizabeth found the smell growing stronger and nastier than ever; she threw the door open, but what came into view was definitely not a normal attic.
The interior of this attic was a large hole with no floor at all. Curiously, Elizabeth peered down, and she found out what had just happened to cause such a nasty smell.
Within, at a depth of no less than thirty thousand miles, lay the Soulblender Institute.
However, S.I. had undergone a dreadful transformation. The immaculate households and pavements were engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke pervasive throughout. In every direction Elizabeth turned, she could only observe individuals lying on the ground, struggling for breath, or else courageous parents shielding their children from further harm. Elizabeth witnessed people gasping for air, lamenting the tyranny of the Fairy lord.
Then, a frightening image flashed through Elizabeth's mind: members of the Evil Scarlet Association, dressed in black, lurking in the Soulblender Institute at midnight with malevolent grins, setting her homeland, her only sanctuary filled with love and care, ablaze.
Flames of a vivid red hue erupted from fissures in the ground, ascending into the houses, consuming all living things within reach.
The grand cathedral was mercilessly afire, with flame flickering in all directions, and smoke billowing out everywhere.
Not only were vulnerable souls inside struggling to escape, but also those who had already evacuated risked their lives to rescue others still trapped inside.
Upon seeing this, Elizabeth was furious; she knew that once Veronica was gone, she was responsible for her beloved hometown.
Biting her lips, Elizabeth snapped her fingers twice.
And using her own inborn magic, which she knew fairly well, she was going to consume half of her own strength and energy while using it, to try to resurrect her hometown.
But since she was determined, nothing was going to stop her.
She had promised Lady Athena, Josephine, Veronica, Victoria, whoever had helped her along the way, and she won’t let them down without taking action first.
Thick blood ran down from the corner of her mouth, dripping to the floor silently, but Elizabeth kept on, clinging to the single belief that left her hanging between life and death, that kept her struggling from the edge of melancholy—revenge.
With a roar of fury, the fire died away, but Elizabeth also collapsed to the ground, her hands clutching her chest.
Penelope patted her on the back, her mouth quivering.
Elizabeth hurled around, grabbing her friends’ hands tightly, with a resilient glint in her eyes, and they vanished in a dazzling light.
Burnt their household?
How naive could they be?
And underestimating Dolores the Evil?
They didn’t know what they had to face in the next few hours.
They’d never dreamt about what was waiting for them.