[Zeve’s POV]“An invisibility barrier… it’s ok, I respect his privacy. Could you please call him here?” I said, looking at Hikari.He nodded and using the muter ring; he told Zahir to come to the palace.“Overlord said he would be here by tomorrow. Until then, luna, please give the Kazumi pack an opportunity to serve you,” Hikari said, getting up from his seat and bowing slightly with his palm over his chest.“Yes, luna. Hikari sensei cooks some really amazing food,” Morfan said excitedly.“It would be my honour, but I do not wish to bother you…” Hikari interrupted me before I could complete. “You are never a bother and everyone in our palace has actually been waiting for this opportunity. Please accept our hospitality.” He said and this time I couldn’t say no.“It will be my honour,” I said with a slight bow. “I am in your care.”Hikari showed me to the room where I would stay. It was a room right in front of Hikari’s room. He said for security, it would be best if I stayed close to
[Zeve’s POV]Zahir sat quietly, peering at the table while Hikari, Morfan and I waited for Zahir’s reply.“Overlord, there must be a strong reason for doing it, right? Please tell us what it was?” Hikari said.Zahir glanced at him and then looked at me. “I fell in love,” Zahir said. “That was my reason to take luna to Mayavi. To protect my son and my wife. I knew about Alpha Amor’s strength and also I thought you might be able to use magic in a dire situation like that and help me protect Polaris and Venus. That was my reason. It was an impulsive decision, and I didn’t think it through. I just hoped things would work out.”“Oh. But it’s a little difficult for me to believe that Zahir, who was so protective of the cores for so many years, put them on the line for love that he felt for one or two years. That’s so not you. The way you trained Hikari and made him stay away from attachments doesn’t really go with this love concept you are giving me right now,” I said.“But that’s what lov
[Zeve’s POV]Zahir widened his eyes. He looked around restlessly then said, “it’s for her safety. Once this fight against Derek is over, I will free her. But… how did you know…”“Oh, I guessed, but thanks for confirming,” I said with a smile. “But aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You have locked up your wife in a cage, taking away her freedom and existence, and you say you did all this for love? Love is not bondage, it’s freedom, Zahir.”“I know, but I have lost far too much to be strong enough to take the right path to love.”“Your definition of love has gotten twisted over all these years…”“You think I am enjoying locking her up like that? It’s excruciating to see the gaze that once had unconditional love for me, filled with hatred and hostility. But I have no other option. I have fallen in love with Venus, after all,” he said in a quavering voice.“And I can’t let Venus stay with you after knowing how you are treating her. So I am sorry, Zahir… but your love is only coming in my wa
[Zeve’s POV]Zahir set the coordinates of the place in his mind and Hikari used his magic to teleport us in front of a gable house constructed in aesthetics of blackish green, black, white and golden. I looked around and there were over twenty houses identical in design, but different in colour and precincts.A thing that stood out about Zahir’s house was — golden spells beautifully and aesthetically carved all over the house in the Maziki language. That house had small windows but no doors.“How do you enter this house? It had no doors,” Morfan asked.There was a magic circle drawn on the entrance platform. We walked into the circle with Zahir and were teleported inside the house. We didn’t need to supply magic into the circle to activate it.Such magic circles were known as conscious circles. They were connected to the consciousness of the one who created them. Such magic circles were used in ancient times to watch over dangerous criminals and also to safeguard higher officials and
[Zeve’s POV]We sat on the sofa arranged in circular fashion in the living room. Venus talked normally, as if she was happy with Zahir and that made me sick to my stomach because I knew the truth she was hiding behind that smile.I didn’t know what made me angrier — the way Zahir silenced her or her decision to remain silent. I was there, Hikari was there, and even Morfan. I knew my knowledge about magic and curses wasn’t as vast as Zahir’s, but I was confident that if the three of us worked together, we could free her.But then again, I was unsure about Hikari. The way he considered Zahir as his mentor and respected him regardless of how coldly Zahir treated him was no joke. There was a strong possibility that Hikari would take Zahir’s side.Meanwhile, my relationship with Hikari was neither too shallow nor too deep. Making either Zahir or Hikari an enemy at the moment could cost me a lot, but I couldn’t leave Venus alone either.“Venus, do you know how to get out of this house?” I
[Zeve’s POV] I returned to the Aura palace. Amor wasn’t in our room. So I asked Lexi where he was and she told me he was in the torture cells in the dungeons. I took a bath, where I talked a little more about what had happened while I was gone. Lexi informed me about the riots that had broken out in various parts of the pack. Amor had been enforcing law to maintain peace and also using army and force to neutralise the violent elements in the population. Amor hadn’t returned since the time I left the palace. He asked Lexi through a mind-link about me and she told him where I was, but after that, Amor hadn’t contacted her again. I could understand how busy he would have been. The situation was indeed concerning. How did riots break out? Could they be related to the civil disputes Amor was talking about earlier? I thought. “Alpha had recently got his hands on the people who are suspected to be the initiators of the riots. He is questioning them himself,” Lexi informed. “Is LKS loo
[Amor’s POV]I wiped the blood off my hands in my white handkerchief. The only thing I abhorred about torturing was blood splattering with no sense of direction. I didn’t want Zeve to see me like that, although she had already seen me slaughter her entire pack, but the torture differed from killing people. Torture was killing their hopes, which was far worse than killing itself. But then again, she could easily read my memories. I sighed. There was nothing I could do about my dark side. It was what it was, and I knew my wife would accept it and love my dark sides like she loved my bright side. She would, right? Or maybe not. I sighed. I shouldn’t expect too much.I entered our room and Zeve was sitting near the window, peering outside as her elbow rested on the table.I stayed near the door, not wanting to go near her stained in their filthy blood. I took off my tunic.Zeve turned and looked at me. She got up from the chair as her gaze travelled over my clothes and body that was sta
[Zeve’s POV] I walked over the fallen walls of the public library and picked up a book that was buried under the debris. I dusted off the dust just to see the book cover stained with blood and the pages half burnt. As far as my eyes could go in that area, all I could see were demolished houses, fallen walls, burnt trees, dug up roads and a heavy haunting silence blanketing the riot affected area. I couldn’t stop the fear from clenching my chest even when I was surrounded by heavy military forces and, above all, Amor himself was standing beside me. Amor said we would visit an area that was affected less badly. If that was less bad than I wondered what would be the condition of the badly affected areas. Trent and my knights were keeping a watch around us at all times. Yet… even after all that security, I felt vulnerable and defeated as the memories of the people being slaughtered and sheer demonic violence rushed into my head as I leafed through the burnt pages of that book. The bo
(This is a free chapter. You won’t need to pay for it. So, please do it read it until the end.) Dear readers, So this journey had finally come to an end! First of all, THANK YOU so much for reading this book, investing your time, and giving it so much love and appreciation. Your every gem, your every comment, your every review has brightened my day and uplifted my spirit in my hard times. This is my first book on this platform and I couldn’t have ever imagined of getting so far. But you made this possible and I am super grateful for all your supports, lovelies. I know this book isn’t perfect and nor am I, but I always try my best to better my craft and create a world where all of us could unite. So, don’t forget to tell me who your favourite character/s was/were in this story? If you enjoyed the book, a review on the main page of the book is much appreciated. It really helps with the growth of the book. And so do your gems and comments. Thank you for coming on this adventure w
[Zeve’s POV] As I plunged into the magma, I had no thoughts in my head. My body was being consumed by the flames, while my heart almost stopped. It was cold inside the volcano. My clothes and armour melted away, but neither the flames nor the magma touched my skin. They flowed inches away from my skin. I held my breath. The bright red glowing magma flowed magnificently inside the volcano. It was scary how I could feel its heat yet not get burned. It was like one of those dreams came to reality, except this time the one to be burnt in flames was me and not Amor. The magma behind me started taking some kind of form. I felt Amor’s presence and my heart skipped a beat. I felt hands warped under my waist and knees. I shut my eyes with a shudder. The next thing I remember was I was sitting far away on the ground and watching the magma, ashes and rocks explode out of the volcano like fireworks. There was a dazzling figure hovering above the volcano, suppressing it back into the ground
[Zahir’s POV]Why don’t you smile?Why don’t you cry?Why don’t you fight?Why don’t you get angry?Why don’t you get scared?What the hell is wrong with you?You are my son, and you cannot be the monster they say you are.Feel!Feel something!Feel anything!Feel everything!‘If nothing, then feel the pain!’That face of a person I was supposed to call my mother.Those glowing eyes floating in sheer darkness.Those words were like pure acid, pouring in my ears.Those snarls of pure hatred and screams and cries, those slaps and whips.The dark bathroom flooded with water everywhere and blood dissolved in it through my veins.I remember.Maybe I felt nothing but cold. It was unbearably cold.That time, that’s all I felt. A cold that made my spine shiver.I wanted to feel, but how?Everything I locked up within me and in the magic and key core came back.It all came back, but I think it never left in the first place.Even after hundreds of years, I could still feel her presence by the s
[Zeve’s POV]“Mother, stop!” Killian yelled.“Venus, calm down… we can make things right, ok? Trust me. Put down the blade…” Zahir coaxed Venus into his manipulative tone.Venus distanced the blade from her throat as if Zahir’s words were controlling her on a mental level. Her hands were shaking as she held the blade to her throat.Her eyes were frozen, as if she was in Zahir’s control. She shook her head with a gasp, “no, not anymore. You can’t control me anymore…” her voice came out hoarse and shaky.And she put the blade against her neck again, this time cutting her skin and bleeding.“NO! NO! Stop!” Zahir panicked and stepped back from Venus, raising his hands.“What the hell is going on here? Venus!” I called out and was about to go to her when Hikari held my hand.I looked at him and frowned. Hikari shook his head.I looked at Venus again and the blade was Hikari’s katana.“Your katana?” I felt a strange fear take over me as I stared at Hikari for an answer.“I must have dropped
[Zeve’s POV]‘I see him burning and these nightmares just don’t stop. Day after day, it’s always the same thing. I try to save him, but the flames always find their way to him. His body… it’s like it’s melting. I couldn’t get these nightmares out of my head and it’s disturbing. A lot. So, I came to you for guidance. Do these nightmares mean something?’‘Dreams are often a window for the future. We just need to interpret them rightly,’ priestess Melantha said when I met her in my third year in Phantoria. ‘For a seed to turn into a sapling and then into a huge tree, the seed coat needs to break. He’ll burn for you and this world.’‘No, he won’t. I won’t let death touch him, not because of me — especially not because of this world.’ This was what I told her, and then she replied with a subtle smile.‘What is the definition of death for you, luna?’ She asked.‘I don’t know. Death for me is what it’s for everyone else. Bad, painful and gloomy and… end.’‘When the right time comes, you will
[Zeve’s POV]There were two souls active inside Killian. One was of Derek and another of Polaris. Killian decided based on the soul that dominated him at a time.That was the only sane explanation I could give to why he was using Celeste as a hostage when Killian saved her, risking his own life.“Fine,” I said, calmly. “Let them go. But I don’t know how to get the core out of my body. Extract it yourself.”Killian frowned. “No hidden tricks, Zeve. I don’t have time for that.”I raised my hand to my shoulders as if I was surrendering myself. “I am telling you the truth. I was born with this core and never took it out. I am not playing any tricks.”Killian thought for some time and then stretched his palm towards me. Four black magic circles appeared around me. One above my head, one below my feet, one in front of my chest, and one behind it.“I am already stuck here. I can’t escape. Please let them go now,” I said. The hellhounds backed off from Lucella and Celeste.The suction from
[Zeve’s POV]The sound of gunshots, along with screams of the knights getting attacked, mashed up with the howls of the hellhounds dominating the road. Killian coughed vigorously and threw out the broken pieces of rock with his teeth and blood from his mouth. “Oh, I know what devilishness it takes to create a utopia. But you really piss me off whenever I see you…” Killian snarled at Amor.Killian created a dark energy ball between himself and Amor, who was pressing him against the ground. The energy ball exploded, flinging Amor far away from Killian.Amor jumped back to his feet and drew out his sword. The armour worked. Amor wasn’t hurt badly. But I could just stand and wait for him to be hurt.I looked at the sky with my apprehension increasing with every second.On the training grounds, the screeches of shadow eaters were tackling the fire wall, keeping them locked within the magic circle. It was as if their screams were summoning the rain because heavy clouds had started looming
[Killian’s POV]Dark clouds stirred over the ruins of the Aura palace and its training grounds. The land had prepared to devour the souls and vomit a curse in the darkest shade of black to open the portal to the dark world from where the creatures of hell would flood the land, turning it into their grazing field. They would feed on souls and lock them in timeless gloom — in a world of nothingness and doom. Their minds were under my control and their souls on my command would set themselves ablaze on the magical ground.I was prepared and so was the enemy.Heavy military and army of hundreds guarded the boundaries around the precinct of the Aura palace and its land. The knights were armoured and ready with their swords, defending the boundaries of the palace from outside.Warriors were ironclad in their wolf forms. The wolves of darker colours were standing on the front lines and surrounded the training grounds.The soldiers created a wall of shields on either side of the criminals’ p
[Zeve’s POV]“Should I take off this gown now?” Celeste asked, walking to me and then standing beside me as we peered at the air where Killian stood seconds ago.I looked at Celeste and caressed her cheek. “I know it’s uncomfortable, sweetie, but wait a little, hmm?”Celeste looked into my eyes and nodded once.“You did a good job. I am proud of you,” I said.A week without the key core and Celeste already looked so fragile. I had to get back the key core from Killian after the plan played out the way I wanted it to.I looked at the sky. The chess board was laid out, the only thing left was the game to begin.“Zeve, I don’t like this at all. You are pregnant and even if everything goes according to your plan, it’s still dangerous because we don’t know what might happen when things actually start happening,” Amor said.I looked at Amor and smiled.“I have heard kids take after their parents. I want my child to be brave, and for that, I have to be braver today. I am going to be a mother