Chapter 136 — Never gone

The other world...

"Ragnar, you old fox! Is that our little wildflower? I can't believe my eyes."

"Aye, it’s her. Had to dodge a few spirits and raise a little hell, but she’s here, safe and sound. Like I promised. ” Ragnar passed the little bundle onto Helga, looking around the place they were in.

Now the netherworld was no place for the living yet Ragnar and their granddaughter were doing just fine. Helga kissed her little head as red freckles appeared around that spot, only to slowly disappear once again.

Helga finally looked up at Ragnar, their eyes meeting after eons. “ So did you make up your mind? ” She finally asked, her hands extended towards him, inviting.

“ Yeah! I mean this place doesn't look that bad. Far better than the place your son put me in. I can make do. Time to stir up some storm in hell, say what? Time to expand our territories like old times, isn't it, dear wife? ”

“ Stop joking, Ragnar! Time is running out. We need to send her back, or else she will be trapped here forever! ”

Ragnar shook his head, as Helga thundered.

“ Yes, Ma'am! ” he said.

“ But you do understand what you are giving up? Don't you? I can't promise hell to be a lot of fun.”

Ragnar sighed but the spark was back in his eyes in no time. “ But you will be around… right? ”

Helga almost blushed, “ I promise! But how does that matter to you? ”

“ It does! But you never understood! ”

With a terrifying roar, his body began to convulse, muscles tightening and veins bulging as his lycan form struggled to break free.

Helga stepped back, her eyes wide with both fear and admiration. Ragnar braced himself for the harrowing ordeal. Getting rid of one's lycan was never easy but he was bound by the curse from Selene’s deflected spell. In his case, it was almost an impossible feat. It was absolutely impossible in the living world however there were some chances of succession because they were in the netherworld.

Ragnar's skin tore and reformed as the lycan emerged, fur sprouting in patches, claws ripping through his flesh. His bones cracked and restructured, his screams mingling with the sounds of thunder and the howls of damned spirits. A storm of dark energy swirled around them almost threatening to rip his soul. Helga immediately stepped in. A faint light radiated from her as she lent her powers to him, just enough to push his soul back inside his human form.

The original lycan was finally out. The beast was magnificent, a dark silhouette against the flashing lightning, its power undeniable.

With a deafening roar, the lycan scooped up the tiny bundle in its massive paws, cradling the child with surprising gentleness. The storm around them intensified, whipping up debris and casting an almost apocalyptic glow.

"Go, now!" Helga shouted over the din, her voice breaking with emotion. "Get her out of here!”

It turned and bounded into the storm, disappearing into the swirling darkness. Helga watched until they were out of sight and then turned back to Ragnar's motionless body, extending her hands to caress his hair. A lump of blood escaped from her mouth and nose as she collapsed beside him. She could barely keep her head up anymore but she smiled.

“Be safe, my love. We'll find each other again, in the next world. Thank you for being the man I fell in love with, once again.”

***

Back at the Lycan kingdom...

Aria started to shake violently, her screams piercing the room. David grabbed her from behind, his chest pressing on her back, trying to steady her.

But his own fears were mounting. "Aria! Aria, what's wrong? Talk to me!" His voice was frantic, his grip tightening as he felt her trembling.

Her eyes were wide, unfocused, as though she was trapped in a nightmare. Her screams filled the room, raw and agonizing. "No! No!" she cried out, her voice cracking. David’s heart pounded in his chest, terror clawing at him. "Aria, please! Snap out of it!"

Finally, her screams subsided into gut-wrenching sobs. She pulled her head, her fingers digging into her scalp, her entire body wracked with pain. "No... no...Damn it! David! I remember... I remember everything.”

Her body stopped struggling and her eyes became fixed.

David’s eyes widened, a mix of fear and confusion on his face. "What do you remember? What is it, Aria?" His voice was desperate, pleading for answers.

Aria took a deep, shuddering breath, her sobs gradually quieting. She wiped her tears away, her eyes shifting from wild fear to a fierce determination. “ Everything! ” She said, without looking at his face. She popped her claws open and slashed her left wrist.

“ Aria! ” David yelled, panicked but Aria's focus was solely on the book with blank pages, on the floor.

As her blood dripped, words started forming. However it did not address Aria this time.

“ Hello, David! We meet again! ”

David was shocked. He turned towards Aria who held his hand.

“ It's Selene.”

“ Selene? But that's impossible! She is dead! ”

Aria shook her head but David hesitated to give her further details. He didn't want to talk about the circumstances under which he had killed her.

“ I have been using it without really understanding what it meant, feeding it my blood. But now I understand. A part of her is trapped in there just like the part that she had embedded in me. ” Aria continued but then new words started forming on the pages.

“ You understand nothing, naive woman. You have no idea about the way he moaned, the way his body reacted. He couldn't keep his hands off me. Every touch, every kiss…he was ravenous. I enjoyed every single minute, and so did he. Oh, but you do know. Didn't you see it all in the vision, silly? ”

The color from David's face evaporated. His grip around Aria's waist loosened. He saw the pain flickering in her eyes but then suddenly Aria smiled.

“ You are nothing more than a haunting left behind. You cannot feed off from our fear. And I refuse to give you any more chances at manipulating me or anybody else. The only reason I fed you my blood was to ask you about my daughter. Do you have anything to do with that? ”

No words formed but the room filled with that chilly laughter once again. But Aria was unflinching. She dripped a few more drops over it.

“ Hell, yeah! I have got everything to do with it! But there is nothing you can do about it! ”

David looked back at Aria after reading it, as he clenched his own fists. But Aria seemed unbothered. “ We will see about that! ”

She pulled a lighter from the table, flicking it on with a determined glint in her eye. "Time to end this, once and for all," she muttered.

David stepped forward, his eyes wide, as he tried to take the book away from Aria's hand. "Aria, be careful. That book... we don't know what it's capable of. Let me take it. Ask for help!”

“ There is no one who can help David except for myself. This force has controlled me since the day I was born. I’m not letting that happen anymore. It's the only way my baby girl will be safe. I will not let this b*tch go anywhere near her."

She held the flame to the book, and as soon as the fire touched the pages, the room exploded with a deafening howl. The book resisted, pages flapping violently as if trying to escape the flames. Aria’s hands burned as she held it in place.

David tried to interfere but she didn't let him.

She poured her remaining strength into the flames, watching as the book began to blacken and curl.

Selene’s voice erupted from the pages, filled with rage. "You think you can destroy me? I will never be gone!I am you. Will be in you forever. I will haunt you till your last breath! ”

Aria’s eyes blazed with defiance. "No, you won't. This ends now!”

She threw the book into a metal trash can, and the flames roared higher, engulfing it completely. The howls grew louder, echoing off the walls until they were nearly unbearable. Even David covered his ears, watching in horror. And then as it turned to ashes Aria's knees buckled.

She collapsed into David’s arms. Her face was pale.

“ Aria? What's happening? Are you alright? ” New fear gripped his chest as he watched the char from her fingers spread all over her body.

She looked up at him, her strength fading but her spirit unbroken. "Yeah... but it took everything. Take care of our daughter, David. Promise me.”

With a final, peaceful sigh, Aria closed her eyes, the smile never leaving her face.