Chapter 54

A deep, shaky breath stutters past my lips. My heart pounds a million miles a minute, and a rush of overwhelming emotions clench tightly in my chest.

“Are you okay?” Theia whispers, her fingers clenching her nose shut to block out the scent of desiccation and blood.

Nevertheless, she doesn’t move as she continues to stand beside me to hold my hand. I fix my gaze onto her soft hazel ones. The innocence and kindness in her eyes instantly calm me.

“Yeah… I-I’m just scared,” I whisper. Theia smiles, her hold on my hand tightening. Her eyes flicker to the steel doors, tilting her head the slightest, confused.

“What is this place?” She wonders, her eyes burning into the side of my face.

“The place Valak kept me,” I don’t know why I wanted to come here. There’s just something here I wanted to face before facing Freya.

We’ve been standing here for three hours. Three! In complete silence, Theia doesn’t rush me. She holds my hand, reminding me I’m not alone. She smiles kindly. There isn’t anything to indicate she wants to leave me here - not even the smell of death.

I finally take my first steps. Wrap my hand around the handle, push down hard and watch the door swing open. It creaks loudly, waking the prisoners held down here.

Theia jumps from the onslaught of anger and howls, disrupting the silence. Without much thought, an air of calmness oozes out of me. It touches each of the prisoners until the chaos becomes a distant whisper.

I should probably look into the prisoners here. I don’t trust my father only kept the guilty down here.

I stare at everything. It unusual how I never forgot a single detail from the place. My gaze flickers to the far-right corner, to the gurney still stained with my blood on the opposite end, to the window that I could never reach. “Wow…” Theia whispers.

I follow her to the far-right corners, her curious eyes burning into the lines carved into the wall. There were so many lines, and her fingers traced the ones her tiny form could reach. “Y-You stopped?” She stares at the last line.

“Immortal or not, little one, everyone breaks at one point, right?” I murmur, crouching down beside her. I know she sees my sadness, but for once, I didn’t hate it.

“I wish... I wish I met you sooner. I-I would have been your friend, you wouldn’t be alone, and you wouldn’t hurt so much now!” Theia blurts, her eyes shining with regret. My gaze focuses on her, and I smile.

“You’re my friend now. Actually-... you’re more than that. And give yourself a little credit. Remember, you saved me, kid. You’re the first person I ever opened up to, the first person to listen to me.” Gently sitting my hand on her head. “Don’t sell yourself short, Theia. I love you, okay.”

“Really!?” A full-blown smile stretches across her face, and she throws her arms around me in a suffocating hold.

My body falls back harshly into the ground, and I can feel the frightening gasp stuck in my throat, closing my eyes fearfully, only - I feel nothing.

Theia notices my stiff posture and gasps, “Oh no! I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I forgot about it a-and… an-…” I tune out what she was saying, my body and mind shocked, waiting a suffocating second for something to hurt and make me scream out in pain.

Nothing - not even a tingle.

It was always there - on my mind, on my back. A reminder of my failures. A reminder of my weakness. A reminder of my parents.

What does this mean? Am I forgiven, and by who - myself or the world?

“Val… Valer-…! Valerie!” Theia shakes my shoulders, her worried eyes piercing into mine. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?! Let me see if I can help. Oh my gosh! I’m so stupid. I forgot-…” Theia’s so immersed in her guilty thoughts she didn’t see the tears stinging my eyes.

I cut her off as I pull her into a hug, my tears staining her shoulders. But this cry is different because for the first time - I have a smile on my face.

Theia remains tense beside me, unsure of what to do. “I-I won’t hurt you, will I?” She whispers innocently. I only hold her tighter.

“No... you could never,” I chuckle. Theia smiles and slowly holds me just as tightly.

I don’t know how long we sit there, minutes? Maybe hours? But I don’t stop holding her, and Theia doesn’t pull away.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop my tears.

I recall the countless memories I had of this dungeon. The times I lost hope. The times I wanted the pain to stop. The times I wanted my father to stop.

But I couldn’t say a damn thing. I couldn’t, because every time Valak would tell me I deserved it - and *every time* I believed him.

I believed him because he never lied to me - not like my mother.

So the wounds stayed. The memories stayed. The pain remained constant. The scars of my past remained with me in the present and obscured my future.

Theia’s soft snores whisp past my ears, realising now, she’s fallen asleep.

Chuckling lightly, I hold her bridal style and leave the dungeon, my pain, scars, and tears behind me.

With every step through the narrow and obscured hallway, I grow closer and closer to the exit.

With every step - I remember what this place did to me, and with the next step, I accept and move on to the next.

The crimson moon illuminates around me, and I breathe in the cool night air as if for the first time. My worries escaping me to flow freely with the wind, but I know much more is to come, and this time I’m determined to fight until my last breath.

Chaos rings loudly. I can feel the bonds of my wolves holding onto me for comfort. Like every night, I can smell blood. I can hear shrieks of evil and pain. I can feel the rage, selfishness and bloodlust holding each creature prisoner.

Without even meaning to, I close my eyes and let my calmness flow as far as I can reach. I let my power touch each of the creatures within distance and open my mind to allow these creatures to taste tranquillity.

Slowly, the night becomes calm.

Eventually, the wolves run free.

Just like he did in the chaos, I suddenly wish Jaxson was here to sit with me in the silence.