Chapter 115: The final traim

Melissa’s POV

The heavy, oppressive darkness whirled about me. The golden glow of the Celestial Flame flickered like a candle in the wind as I held it tightly in my hands.

The Void was different. It had developed shape and was no longer only a collection of shadows. A massive, purely dark figure with empty eyes blazing with insatiable desire loomed before me.

"Madela, you are nothing." The voice of the Void thundered like a tempest. "Every light bearer before you has been eaten by me. You'll tumble just like everyone else.

I forced my fear down with a firm gulp. "How many you've taken doesn't matter to me. I am the one who ends it.

The Void chuckled. "What a dumb girl. What has existed for all eternity cannot be stopped.

The shadows surrounding us contorted into shrieking faces as it lifted its enormous arms—souls imprisoned in its never-ending hunger. My heart tightened. If I failed, would I end up like this?

No.

I lifted the Celestial Flame while clenching my teeth. The murky cloud was sliced through by the flood of golden fire. "You won't prevail."

I sprinted ahead, throwing everything I had into one last blow. With increasing size and brightness, the flame roared. I poured my soul into it, and my whole body burned.

The Void remained still. It was just observed.

I hit.

The void was filled with a loud eruption of light.

I briefly believed I had won.

However, when the light dimmed...

The Void remained upright. Not hurt.

I gasped. "No... That isn't feasible.

The Void grinned. "Is it?"

Then, like a tidal wave, blackness crashed into me.

As I was flung across the battlefield and hit the icy, changing ground, I yelled. My body ached. My vision became hazy.

In my grasp, the Celestial Flame flared feebly.

Despite my best efforts, my limbs felt heavy.

The Void towered over me, one great hand raised, poised to deliver the decisive blow.

The voice of the Void growled. "You'll understand true despair now, Melissa."

My body throbbed with pain. I had almost lost my strength. It was a faint gleam from the Celestial Flame.

The Void took a step forward. "You put up a good fight, but you were never supposed to prevail."

My arms trembled as I attempted to push myself upward. My vision becomes hazy.

A voice.

"Melissa, keep going."

Damon?

A wave of warmth swept through my head. It was my whole pack, not just Damon. I sensed their power, vitality, and faith in me.

Their illumination.

I was encircled by a bright radiance. My body began to warm up, and my fingers began to tingle. Brighter than ever, the Celestial Flame blazed back to life.

The eyes of the Void narrowed. "What is this?"

With my strength fully returned, I stood up. Like armor, the golden light encircled me.

I looked into the Void's eyes. "You're not correct. I was never alone myself.

I pushed my hands forward, aiming a ray of unadulterated light directly at the Void.

The Void hissed in agony and stumbled back. Cracks appeared across its dark body.

I moved forward a step. "It's finished."

However, then—

I heard a whisper in my head.

"You have to give it your all to destroy the core of the Void."

I went cold.

The voice of the artifact was audible. To destroy the Void, I had to sacrifice my soul.

My breath caught.

I heard Damon's voice in a whisper. "I will always be with you, no matter what."

My eyes hurt with tears.

Was I prepared for this?

As the Void steadied itself, I bawled my fists. "Melissa, what will you pick?"

The shape of the Void changed, its sharp edges vanishing to reveal something fresh. The blackness twisted and contorted, and the battlefield shook beneath me.

Then suddenly light.

There was lovely grass underneath and a brilliant sky above. My skin was touched by the warm air.

I let out a gasp.

Damon grinned as he stepped in front of me. His love-filled blue eyes gave him a serene appearance. Smoke curled from the chimney of a small cottage behind him. In the distance, children laughed.

It was flawless.

It fulfilled every desire I had ever had.

I stepped forward unsteadily. "Is this thing real?"

Damon grinned broadly. "Yes, Melissa, it is real. Our future lies in this. He put his hand out and cupped my cheek. He had a warm touch. secure. "No more conflicts. No more suffering. Only us.

My eyes pricked with tears. This is what I wanted. This was what I needed.

A life free from conflict. Without making a compromise.

However, something didn't feel right.

With my heart racing, I retreated a step. "No, this isn't true."

Damon scowled. "Don't be afraid, Melissa. Remain here. Alongside me.

The sky was golden and flickered. Something twisted out of the kids' laughter that wasn't right.

Then I heard it

"Hey, Melissa! Don't listen!

The voice of Damon. Not in front of me, though.

Damon in real life.

I made a quick turn. Like shattered glass, the illusion broke. The battlefield became chilly and dark again as the beautiful sky slipped away.

His actual body, Damon, was there on the ground, writhing in agony as the tendrils of the Void encircled him like shackles.

The voice of the Void roared. "What a dumb girl. Everything could have been yours.

I balled my fists up. "Yes, I do have everything."

I moved ahead, surrounded by a burst of golden light.

Damon's face became white as he moaned. "Melissa, get this done."

The tendrils of the Void grew tighter around him. "Select. Either save him or ruin me.

I went cold.

I could kill Damon if I attacked the Void.

The world would end if I saved him.

My heart was racing. I needed to decide.

I gripped the Celestial Flame tighter. "Void, I refuse to let you determine my destiny."

I shook with energy as I lifted the Celestial Flame. The figure of the Void loomed over us like a nightmare as its tendrils pulsed around Damon.

I was pressed for time.

I inhaled deeply, then used my last remaining strength to push the flame ahead. Out of my hands, a golden fire blazed into the night.

The Void let out a shriek.

Damon was released when its tendrils snapped back. Coughing, he fell to the ground.

I dropped to my knees as I ran to him. "Damon!"

His eyes opened a little. "You did it."

I felt a wave of relief as I stroked his face. However, the fight was far from done.

The shape of the Void started to shift.

Dark and shimmering, like a dying star, its whole essence collapsed into a single, pulsing core as it twisted and enlarged.

I heard a voice in my head.

"If the core is destroyed, the Void will vanish forever."

However, I was well aware of it.

The cost would be my soul.

My breath shook as I balled my fists.

Damon wrapped his feeble fingers around mine. "You don't have to—" said Melissa.

With a broken heart, I turned to face him. "Yes, I do."

His eyes filled with tears. "There must be an alternative."

The core of the Void throbbed furiously. There was not much time left.

I smiled sadly at him. "This is my fate."

I got up and held the Celestial Flame high above my head before he could stop me.

A golden fire erupted.

The Void screamed.

A blaze of brightness.

In blinding light, the world disappeared.

Damon's frantic cry was the last sound I heard—

"MELISSA!"

I vanished into the light as the Void fell away, leaving nothing but quiet.