With flames, the thrones crumbled slowly, trapping Ki's parents in the disaster.Taku had come from nowhere, bumping into Belladonna as she tried to escape, while he headed straight into the fire to save the trapped Village Heads.He was able to save them, but before he could find time to save himself, a log fell from above, knocking him down, while his yell of pain morphed into the screams that filled the night. Everywhere had been thrown into chaos, everyone was tending to their business, running away, trying to survive the fire.The screaming, the shouting, the running.It was all too much for them to notice his own need for help.It was chaotic.Ki's parents had also forgotten Taku as the guards surrounded them to bring them to safety, the attention mostly on Ki's mother who had inhaled too much smoke and was now unconscious.Ki was there too. Well, the news of the fire must have spread."Don't go." The voice next to Belladonna startled her, her focus turning immediately to wher
"How's your head?"Ah, by Ignas, the land of the dead must be really noisy.This annoying voice followed her here too?It was a task to move but she couldn't stay still even if she tried. The uneven surface she found herself to be laid upon wasn't comfortable at all. "Careful." The voice seemed loud, in fact, every movement seemed too loud for banging ears and aching head. She sat up, holding her head, as she moved slowly. "Stop talking," she said between pressed lips, as she tried to prepare herself for whatever it was she would find when she would open her eyes. "That doesn't sound like a 'Thank you' to me " The voice said back to her, annoyed and frustrated.She would recognize that voice anywhere.So Alaris had died too?For how much he used to boast about his powers, she didn't expect that he would die by his own flames or if she were to go according to his story, flames from the dragon he was attached to.Different feelings crossed through her veins and the way she could fe
"And since you are lucky enough to have my interest, you must stay alive. A piece of advice from an experienced person, only help people when it benefits you."Phew!His cockiness was annoying, annoying enough to change whatever heart skip that had just happened.Or maybe it was the rage that clouded it.Whatever it was, at least she wasn't feeling it anymore. Thanks Ignas, that was a good thing. "Helping people is what got me into this situation. Stuck in this place for more than two hundred years."Belladonna gave into a burst of sarcastic laughter, the price a hefty one.The headache almost seized her breath, but the rage she felt towards Alaris' words kept her going. "Helping people? You gave a boy a curse in disguise of a gift.""So you believe me, you believe my story." He still sounded close, in fact, he sounded a little happy and that made Belladonna angrier. She looked up at the sky. The stars were gone now and the dark clouds seemed to be clearing out slowly."Believe y
Breakfast was quick, what happened afterwards though had a lasting effect. From the dining hall, Eli had led her up the flight of stairs, straight to the rooftop. The height made Belladonna feel a little dizzy and Eli chuckled as he pulled her close to keep her stable. It was windy, the air was clear and, the houses below looked tiny within the vast view."Everything is ours." Eli's voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating slightly against her ear, as she had her head resting against him.Belladonna sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. It was relaxing to be in Eli's arms and for that moment, her troubles seemed to have vanished into thin air.It was good to talk about a future with someone whom a future is desired with. It was good to know they wanted the same thing in that future. "and our two children, or maybe one."Belladonna blinked. No way. "Four." She peered up at him with a smile, looking straight into his brown eyes and ignoring the mask with the thought that soon it woul
A couple of stairs down and a guard ran up to Eli, delivering a message about a Witch's attack on Nakunriver."She set everywhere ablaze!" The guard had declared breathlessly. "Almost killed the Village Heads!" The message had put Eli on edge a little and Belladonna had expected to take an excuse to attend to the report, believing that he would assume it was the One with the White Aura as he always did. Belladonna was in for a surprise though. Eli had dismissed the guard with an errand instead, waving aside the report as if it was nothing. That was strange. It was also strange that the message had gotten to Eli so quickly, he must have gone ahead with his plan of putting his messengers in each village.An unsettling feeling ran through Belladonna's veins. As if she didn't have enough on her mind about the Blood Moon and how the timing might not be in her favour, this strange attitude just had to add to it. Where was Eli leading her to next?This didn't feel good. What was goi
His hand went slack around her neck, and she slipped to the ground, coughing as he took a couple of steps back, watching her gasp for air on the floor, trying to regain what she had been deprived of."E--li--" "Silence!"The words snapped something in her and she looked up at the man she loved. What happened?"I do not want to hear my name on your lips."Bewildered, she stood up slowly, his cold gaze weighing heavily on her. When he spoke again, his voice was like a deadly whisper. "I do not want to hear you repeat to me the poisonous dictates of the Bride Thief."Her heartbeat was slamming loudly in her ears now. "I don't understand," the words slipped through her lips, the shakiness of her voice failing the firmness she was trying to hold onto. Something told her she did understand what was going on, but she was hanging on to this denial. Maybe if she held on to this ignorance long enough, everything would fade away. She was losing him.She could feel him slipping from her f
Eli had been puzzled when he had found Belladonna this morning, sleeping in her study and her gown damp, slightly ripped at some parts, with the hem of her dress, burnt a little.Suspicion had hit him like a swinging brick, but he hung onto denial.She couldn't possibly be dreaming of the Bride Thief. That was impossible. He would have known way before now if she was. He had tried to convince himself that the dampness was from sweat. He had even deluded himself into thinking she was pregnant and excessive sweating was a sign of pregnancy.As for the burnt hem, maybe she had read overnight again and caused a fire, which she had already put out. It wouldn't be the first time his Donna was causing a fire from her nightly readings. As for the ripped parts of her dress, he had told himself that her dress had suffered that, while she had managed to put out the fire all on her own.With half his mind believing that she was sick and hiding it from him so he wouldn't have more to be worried
Eli wasn't supposed to be asking her. Her words were corrupted, her mind had already been swayed by the Bride Thief's manipulation for too long a time, yet he couldn't help but ask. She didn't say a word, Why speak anyways? It wasn't like he would believe her. Besides, the memory of what had happened earlier when she had tried to explain herself, was still fresh in her memory. If she were to speak, what would he do next? Kill her?By Ignas, the horror! She told herself it was because of Kestra's manipulation that had gotten to him, and when she would finally kill Kestra, this would finally all be over. Belladonna's focus was on how she would be able to get Thanatou's Sunflower tonight.The Blood Moon was still a problem but she would worry about that later.When Belladonna felt his finger slide underneath her chin, she froze, till she was looking right at him. The dim light of the room giving an illusion of his scales glowing, the sadness swindling in his brown eyes, along with t
A pregnant woman's unwanted friends were swollen feet. Eli would usually help her massage them just as he was doing now. She was reading a book to him and he listened with rapt attention. His paintings adored the room, a piano at one corner, her sewing equipment at another corner with two studies joined to the room.He chuckled at something she read and she rolled her eyes. She had become quite irritable lately, little things would get on her nerves. It was just an interesting change to watch, especially because food was usually the cure, all kinds of food in their weirdest combinations. He had tried one once, it was terrible. She snapped the book shut. “By Ignas, do go on. I take back my laughter.”She seemed to have something else on her mind though. “Do you think I’m fat?”He smiled, “Like I always say, you are not fat, you are just pregnant.”“So you would want me like this?”He chuckled, the sound throaty as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. He moved quickly, she c
Eli and Belladonna had come a long way. After death pays a visit, who would expect a joining ceremony?The trail was only hours ago and everything still felt shocking to Belladonna. She was the Kore and Eli was the right-hand man to the UnderLord. She was no longer a ghost but a High Realm that could move from one realm to another, and grant to only those who deserved it a second chance at life. She was a Kore with no realm of her own but one she must build from scratch. The Fate had dissolved the Kore’s realm after they based their judgment on the previous one. Luna and Ama had promised to help her in all ways they could and Belladonna was grateful for the offer. She was more excited about her ability to move from one realm to another though. She couldn’t wait to see her sister, Arlo, and Alaris even though they might not be able to see her. As Eli had told her, the UnderLord didn’t have a right-hand man for a very long time. Many Thanatos had been trying to acquire the position.
“She passed two tests!” Ama sprung up from her seat., “There must be something—““You are not one of this council,” the Ghost High Being turned to her sharply, “so keep your voice out of the decisions.” Belladonna's eyes widened. Two tests! So Eli—- Ah by Ignas, she had been right. Where was Eli? Why hadn’t they let him come in yet?Ama smirked, “Still holding a grudge, Phosi? I see.”“Passed the two tests? It is obvious that she has failed. The rules are the rules,” The Sea High Being spoke, “she has failed. Pass the judgment, I have places to be.”Failed? Belladonna felt that painful jolt in her heart. What were they even talking about?!The hall seemed to share the same confusion as Belladonna, they whispered amongst one another. “Failed?!” Luna snapped. “How did she fail? It is not her fault that her soul didn’t align——““The rules are the rules! And you are not a part of this Council, stay out of it!” The High Being of the Sea snapped. “End this already,” he said to the Fates,
The days that followed were fast and the training was tedious, Luna helped as much as she could, probably more than any mentor ever would. Life in the Moonrealm was wonderful, but for the things that shattered her peace. After training in the Moonrealm for two moons, Luna had not-so-pleasant news for her. Eli was to undergo a test too, a single test.“He has to fight the UnderLord and defeat him.”“Who will train him?”“The UnderLord.”There was no way the UnderLord would train Eli enough to be able to defeat him. “He chose him to be his master.”Belladonna paused. Eli was definitely plotting something.“Also, the failure of one is the failure of both of you.”Belladonna blinked, the times and the trails were against them but Eli was no fool. He definitely had something planned. ——-——-[TRIAL DAY]The first thing Belladonna saw when she stepped into the hall was a woman on her knees screaming in agony, while three faceless people with the staff in their hands stood around her, the
Preparation“It is believed that holding the title of the Kore is a curse and there is a reason for that. Everyone that becomes the Kore always has a terrible end.” Luna paused as if considering her next words before she finally spoke. “Reincarnation should be beautiful, not filled with so many problems. Reincarnation and second chances, do you not think so, Belladonna?”Belladonna nodded, wanting to know about the Kore already, but instead of continuing with what she had to say, Luna drew a line in thin air, and a floating lightly illuminated map unraveled between them. There were different floating objects on the map, probably to signify places. “For your third test, you must be chosen as an apprenticeship for one of the Realm Lords.”“Chosen?”“It is quite tricky as it is your soul that chooses for you and if the Realm Lord of the one your soul along with thinks you are fit, then you will have passed the third test.”“I don’t understand. Something seems to be missing. What about t
“What?!” Belladonna yelled, grabbing Ama’s wrists tightly with rage. “How could not tell me?!”“How dare you disrespect me?!” Ama snapped her hands away from Belladonna’s grip, fury blazing in her eyes as she started getting bigger, losing the frame she had fitted herself into. Belladonna stayed firm, her anger refusing her to feel fear. How dare they drag Aniya into this? How dare they? If she had known, she wouldn't— By Ignas, she wouldn't have done this!To ruin another’s life for the sake of her happiness? Never!No.Then Ama stopped, looked at the castle, and was back to normal in a flash as if a thought had flashed into her mind to make her reconsider. “I will spare you the wrath of my mate only this once. You will not disrespect me again,” She said firmly but those were words Belladonna couldn't hear.They sounded like echoes in the background. Anger changed into fear, not for her but for Aniya.She fell to her knees and wept. “You must reverse it. Please, I am begging. Ask f
“Eli.” Tears were streaming down her face now.Finally, they could touch but this moment wouldn’t last forever, and they intended to exploit it for as long as they could.“Do you love me, Donna?” His hand cupped the side of her face.“You know I love you.” She slipped her fingers through his hair which had grown longer than she remembered. She had certainly not seen all of the real him when he possessed Jyris’ body. Now, he looked so different. “By Ignas, I do. I love you, Eli.”“And I love you too. No amount of this torture, nor of passage of time will take that away. I grant you the permission to forget me. You need not feel any guilt, it will be the best way of loving me.”Belladonna wiped her tears away. “It is ironic, you begged me to choose you in Gaya’s garden and I did not, and now that I want to choose you, you are begging not to.” The words spilled quickly out of mouth, as they tried to make the best use of their borrowed time.A glimmer of a smile snaked into his eyes. “It
The journey to Eli’s dungeon felt like a repeat of past events, it was like a flash of what had happened after the Red Moon Ritual, a reminder of the time Alaris had led her to his dungeon. She had followed Alaris with worry and love for him in her heart, then she found him in chains and finally, she left his presence betrayed, sad, and a grounded hatred for him.It felt sickening to be in this type of situation again though under different circumstances. She wished it was over, she wished she had seen him and saved him. She heard his voice before she saw him. A shout filled with agony. Her heart clenched with pain as she prepared herself to see the worst. Ama stopped walking and Belladonna who was following her did the same. Why had they stopped? She couldn’t see Eli anywhere, in fact, she could barely see her surroundings; she could still hear his voice though, and that in itself was too painful to bear. What type of torture were they putting him through? Suddenly, the growls of
The next thing Belladonna knew, her blindfold was ripped away from her and she was tossed roughly to the floor, her hands and knees bearing the brunt of the action. She expected pain but that never came. Oh, of course.The room was lit with red dim lights, however for Belladonna who had stayed in the dark for too long, the light felt blinding. The structure of the hall seemed like a throne room but it was of such an intricate design that she had no time to access it, the only thing that caught her eye was the strange, massive, dangling bed-like structure with curtains, connected with a chain to the roof of the hall; she could only assume that, it was too dark to see into the distance above. She rose to her feet and froze when she heard growls and gnashing behind her and she turned to look back, frightened. This beast, she had seen it before. Four-legged with three heads of mighty wild dogs, rough rocky skin with visible maps of the lava contained within. Vicious and ready to kill.