Chapter 95
95
~Elara’s POV
I watched him step out of the torture chamber, his body stiff, his face empty in a way that scared me more than his rage. Blood stained his hands and clothes, but he did not seem to see it. Guards stood outside, frozen, unsure whether to bow or to run. For a moment, everything was quiet, like the world was holding its breath.
Then he moved.
He reached for one of the guards and pulled the sword from his hand in one smooth motion. The sound of the blade leaving its sheath rang sharp in the air. My heart leaped in terror.
“No,” I cried. “Darlon, please. Stop p>
He did not hear me. He turned and walked forward, slow at first, then faster. Panic spread through the hallway. Guards shouted. Maids screamed. People tried to run, but fear slowed them down.
He struck without hesitation.
I screamed his name over and over, my voice breaking. “Darlon! Darlon, please listen to me p>
I pushed against the shield around me, pressing with all my strength, screaming, crying, begging. My hands burned as if I was touching fire, but nothing broke. The barrier did not even shake.
“This is not you,” I sobbed. “Please come back to your senses. Please p>
He kept moving, blade rising and falling, his face cold and distant, like he was no longer part of this world. Bodies fell. Blood stained the floor. No one dared to stop him. No one could.
I lifted my face to the sky, tears streaming freely. “Moon Goddess,” I screamed. “Please do something. Please stop him. You took me. You cannot take him with you p>
For a moment, nothing happened. My heart sank deeper into despair.
Then, just as he raised his sword toward a maid who had fallen to the ground and was crying helplessly, a bright light flooded the hallway. It was soft and blinding at the same time, warm but powerful. Everything froze.
Darlon stopped mid strike.
The sword trembled in his hand.
The light grew stronger, and slowly, a figure formed within it. She stepped forward calmly, her feet not touching the ground, her silver hair glowing like moonlight. Her eyes were deep and ancient, filled with both sadness and judgment.
“Darlon,” the Moon Goddess said gently.
I gasped. “Please,” I whispered. “Please p>
Darlon turned slowly to face her. His eyes burned with fury and pain. “Now you come?” he asked bitterly. “Now you want to stop me p>
She looked at him with quiet sorrow. “Enough,” she said. “It is time to stop p>
He laughed, harsh and broken. “Where were you when my wife was being killed?” he shouted. “Where were you when she begged for help? You did nothing. And now you want me to stop p>
The Moon Goddess sighed. “Elara’s death was written in fate,” she said softly. “It was her path to walk p>
I cried out in anger. “That is a lie,” I screamed. “That cannot be all she was worth p>
Darlon shook his head violently. “I do not accept that,” he said. “I will never accept that p>
“You have crossed a line,” the Moon Goddess continued. “You have killed the guilty, and then you killed the innocent. You have disturbed the balance between life and death p>
He scoffed. “Innocent?” he shouted. “They watched while my wife was framed. They believed lies. They said nothing. They are not innocent p>
She looked at him steadily. “It was not your role to judge them,” she said. “You should have left them to me. I had a punishment prepared for them far worse than death p>
He stepped closer to her, sword still in hand. “I want my wife back,” he said, his voice cracking. “Give her back to me p>
The Moon Goddess walked toward him slowly. “That is not possible,” she said. “Not yet p>
He screamed then, a sound so full of pain that it tore through me. “Then what was the point of everything?” he shouted. “Why am I still breathing p>
She reached out and placed her hand on his head.
Light burst from her touch, wrapping around him like chains made of moonlight. He froze, his body shaking as the glow spread through him.
“What are you doing?” he growled.
“I am cursing you,” she said softly. “And sparing you at the same time p>
The light faded slowly, leaving him standing there, stunned.
“You will not die,” the Moon Goddess said. “You will live through ages and generations. You will watch everyone you love grow old and die while you remain. You will feel loneliness and grief again and again p>
Darlon stared at her in disbelief. “That is mercy?” he asked bitterly.
“I pity you,” she replied. “And I am angered by the bloodshed you caused. This is your punishment. You will be a broken soul walking through time p>
I cried harder than I ever had. “No,” I whispered. “Please do not do this to him p>
She looked past him, straight at me, and for the first time, I felt like she truly saw me.
“You will not find peace,” the Moon Goddess continued, “until your true mate’s soul returns to you p>
Darlon’s breath caught. “Elara,” he whispered.
The sword slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He dropped to his knees, shaking, broken, alone.
The moment the Moon Goddess began to fade, something inside me snapped.
“No,” I screamed, my voice tearing out of me like it was being ripped from my chest. “No, that is too cruel. You cannot do that to him p>
I threw myself against the shield again, harder this time, not caring about the pain burning through my hands and arms. The barrier flared bright, pushing me back, but I did not stop. I could not stop.
“You call that mercy?” I shouted, my voice shaking with rage and grief. “You took my life, and now you take his peace. What kind of justice is that p>
The moonlight around us flickered, and the air grew heavy. The Moon Goddess paused, her back still turned to Darlon, but she did not fully disappear.
“Answer me,” I yelled. “Look at him. Look at what you have done p>
Darlon was still on his knees, his shoulders hunched, his head bowed as the weight of the world had finally crushed him. He looked small in that moment, not like the man who had ruled with strength, not like the man who had loved me with everything he had.
“You are punishing him for loving me,” I cried. “For hurting because I died. How is that balance? How is that fair p>
The Moon Goddess turned slowly, her expression calm, almost distant. “Elara,” she said, her voice echoing through the space, soft but powerful. “You do not understand p>
“I understand enough,” I shouted back. “I watched him break. I watched him lose everything. And now you want him to walk alone forever p>
Tears blurred my vision, but I kept speaking, afraid that if I stopped, I would fall apart completely.
“He did terrible things,” I admitted. “I saw it all. I hated it. It broke me to watch it. But he was not always like that. He loved deeply. He loved truly. He loved me p>
My voice dropped, trembling. “Is that a crime now p>
The Moon Goddess studied me, her silver eyes unreadable. “Love does not excuse bloodshed,” she said. “The balance must be restored p>
“Then punish me too,” I yelled. “If fate needed a life, you took mine. Why must he suffer forever for it p>
She was silent for a long moment, and that silence felt louder than any scream.
“You are already bound to him,” she finally said. “More than you know. The same prophecy surrounding your birth will reappear when you get the chance to be reborn. All these memories will appear when you get the chance to be reborn p>
And with that, the light faded completely.