CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 61
Calla’s POV
I knelt next to Raiden’s pyre, where the flames continued to fade. My vision blurred with tears as I placed my hand on the now-empty place where his body had stood. The screams from my heart told me this was wrong because he could not remain dead. I remembered his dying breath and how his hand reached for mine, but would not let go of the idea that it had to be the end. I rose, determination hardening behind my grief. No darkness would keep him from me.
The healers approached with solemn faces. Elara shook her head. Elara told Calla they had done everything possible to save him. My eyes showed pure desperation as they met hers. You missed it, I told her. Her hand rested on my arm as she looked at me with concern because I still felt his presence. “His body is gone. All the things that once held him together now exist no more. The past cannot be recovered." I refused to accept it and shook my head. “There must be. I won’t let him slip away.”
I walked quickly toward the ruins where we had sealed the Source. The stones that once gleamed under moonlight now lay as barren ash beneath me, yet I sensed a lingering fragment of power. The Whisper stirred, urging me onward. Magic powerful enough to destroy the Voidbearer could potentially exist to bring Raiden back. My eyelids shut tight as I delved deep within while I called upon the Source to guide me toward a way to bring him back. As I placed my palms against the ground, I felt a faint light emanating from my hands.
Elara followed me, her voice trembling. “Calla, please be careful. You’re putting yourself in danger with this decision. I will not allow him to become lost." My voice wavered yet remained strong. A fierce energy coursed throughout my body as it revived the hope I believed had vanished forever. We stepped into the memory chamber, which concealed the Source’s seal in ancient times. A beam of moonlight slipped through a stone crack above to shed light on a runic circle below. I knelt in the centre.
Elara knelt beside me, her eyes wide. “These runes…” she breathed. I felt ancient power run through my skin as I traced my fingers across the symbols, which were older than anything known to us. The runes carry both a gift and a curse, I said softly. My mother passed down the legend of the Blood of Luna, which allowed mothers to transfer power to their daughters for controlling life and death. It came at a cost. I steeled myself. His spirit calls to me, but retrieving it risks my demise.
Elara’s eyes filled with tears. She tried to take my hand, but I withdrew my fingers with care. “This is my choice,” I said quietly. “I loved him. She wanted nothing more than to embrace him once more. With my eyes shut, I started chanting the ancient words, which transformed into shards of moonlight and blood with each syllable. My touch caused the runes to light up while the Source responded to my summoning, creating light waves that swept through the chamber.
Wind screamed through the air while dust particles danced around us. Above the runes, a pale-flamed figure appeared, revealing Raiden’s spirit. His face was calm, his eyes sad. “Calla,” he whispered. The moment his voice broke through, I felt pain tear me apart, but I managed to hold back from crying. “I couldn’t live without you,” I replied. He shifted his gaze away as he struggled with conflicting emotions. I took his hand as I reached through the ethereal barrier between worlds because it cost too much. “Then we share the cost,” I said.
The runes flared bright, nearly blinding me. Elara knelt, shielding her eyes. The transfer of Raiden's warmth into me ended when his spirit re-entered his body and caused a cold sensation. My legs trembled, threatening to buckle. His eyes reflected both love and fear as they locked onto mine. “I’m uncertain about this working,” I expressed while my voice shook. He nodded his head while he kept his eyes locked on mine as I said, "Stay with me." The Source emitted a radiant light that encompassed us and yanked him away from death's brink.
My breath caught when his spirit returned to his body, and he fell to the floor. Raiden contracted violently as his injuries healed visibly before us. Rising to her feet quickly, Elara reached out to assist me in supporting him. His breath shook, then steadied. Blood flowed no more. His lungs began to rise and fall while his eyelids opened slowly. Our eyes met, and his face showed immediate relief. As I pressed my forehead against his, Calla spoke softly, "You made me whole again", while tears streamed down my face. “Welcome back,” I whispered.
He gradually stood upright while his eyes remained clouded by pain. “What happened?” he asked, voice hoarse. I recounted the story of how I had saved him despite endangering my own life. He shook his head, astonished. I managed to barely smile as he asked if I did all this for him. As he took my hand, he made me feel weak because my life force flowed into him when he promised never to lose me. My vision blurred. “Calla?” he murmured, worry edging his voice.
Pain spread through my chest while I fought to keep standing upright. “I’m… okay,” I whispered. I said I was tired before he shifted and held me while his face showed deep concern. “No,” he said firmly. My head shook back and forth as tears clouded my sight. “You can’t vanish from me again.” He pressed his lips against my forehead with fierce tenderness. “Then don’t. Rest now. I succumbed to sleep as the Source's glow faded while my eyes shut against the approaching challenges.
The moon's surface was darkened by the swift passage of one raven-shaped shadow. For an instant, its eyes sparkled with expressions of both triumph and grief. When Raiden embraced me, I sensed the last remnants of warmth leave my bloodstream. We had defied death. The dark raven’s call signalled that our travels had not yet concluded.