Chapter 124 — Not without you

Aria pulled back from their kiss, panting heavily, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as her eyes opened wide with urgency.

"We have to get out of here, David. Time is running out," Aria pleaded as she took in David's fragile form with sorrow and regret filled in her eyes, as she touched his weakened muscles with her trembling fingers.

“ We must hurry! ”

She tugged and pulled at his chains. But it didn't budge one single inch.

She tried to pry the fiery chains apart. But every attempt was futile.

Desperation grew inside Aria. She begged Elara to lend her some strength.

“ I am trying, Aria! But my powers are useless here. I can only act like a vessel! ”

Aria ran around towards the back, trying to pull at the chains from all directions.

But the chains seemed to tighten with each of her desperate efforts.

David tangled more in those chains that blazed with hellish fire.

David shook his head, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "Aria, stop. It's no use.”

“ What do you mean by no use? ” Aria kept running about, looking for anything that she could use. But there was nothing except vast stretches of endless blackness.

“ Aria, come here! Listen to me! ”David barked with whatever strength he was left with.

“There is no other way." David's voice was firm, though his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Aria froze as she slowly turned her head.

"I chose this, Aria. Your life for mine. It's the only way you can be free.”

Tears streamed down Aria's face, carving paths through the grime and blood. She surged forward again pressing her lips to his with a desperation that bordered on madness.

“ What do you mean my life, your life… we are going to make it out of here, alive. Together. Don't worry! I am working…”

“ Aria please… listen to me…. ”

"No!” Aria snapped, “David, please listen to me…" she gasped against his mouth, her fingers tangling in his hair.

“Don't ask me to leave you even in your wildest dream. I can't."

David's heart broke with every kiss, every tear. "You have to," he said gently, though his voice trembled. "You need to live, Aria. For both of us. Please.”

David strained against his bonds, wishing he could hold her one last time. "You are stronger than you know. You will survive this. And you will carry a part of me with you, always.”

David affectionately looked down at her baby bump, the yearning to hold the child very visible in his eyes.

Aria dropped to her knees, her cries echoing in the void. "David, please," she begged, her voice raw.

“ You have no idea what I am fighting inside. Please don't make this more difficult for me. Fight for me. Fight with me. Let's get out of this… ”

“I love you," he said softly, the chains burning brighter as the dimension began to close in on them. "I know your fight, Aria. And know that I am doing this just for you. You are stronger than her. Don't let her win… ”

Aria gasped at David's words.

“ You knew… ”

She could hardly get those words out when the entire dimension shook with a terrible cry.

“Now go. Before it's too late.” David yelled his lungs out, his eyes almost popping out with fear.

With a heart-wrenching sob, Aria forced herself to stand. She leaned in again, their lips meeting in a fierce, lingering kiss. "Goodbye, my love," she whispered, her voice breaking as she pulled back once more, her hand caressing his cheek.

David's eyes filled with tears as he gazed at her, memorizing every detail. "Goodbye, Aria. Live for me. Take care of our child. Don't let the darkness inside you win…ever.”

She turned to run, but after a few steps, she spun back, rushing to him for one last kiss, one last embrace. "I love you," she cried, her voice a broken whisper. “ With my soul and all that I am. ”

“ I love you too, baby girl! I love you. Go! Go!” David replied, his heart shattering with the knowledge that this was their final moment.

He saw Aria go toward the edge, his heart heaving with anticipation as the dimension shook and trembled with a deafening roar.

But then she stopped.

She turned around, anchoring her feet at strategic angles.

“ Aria! Aria what are you doing? ”

David and Elara called out at once.

Aria completely ignored David, addressing only Elara at first, “ Be gone! Your work here is done! ”

“ But Aria… ” Before Elara vanished, she was silenced by the aura that was exhumed from Aria's body. She no longer was the weak little healer werewolf girl. Her eyes blazed like the legendary sorceress who was consumed by ambition.

“ No! Aria, no! Don't let her win. Don't let her consume you. Aria! ”

The fire had spread all over his body but David was completely oblivious. His eyes were strained over Aria and her changing demeanor.

“ I am sorry, David, but she is the only one that can help. I cannot leave you behind in this hell! What did you take me for? ”

A brilliant blue started to radiate around her, an energy vortex forming at her feet where they were in contact with the strategic points.

“ Aria, nooooo! You cannot let Selene win. Once she takes over there is no way to stop her. Don't let her take over, Aria. She is trying to manipulate you.

She is trying to use me to manipulate you. Please don't let that happen. ”

There was a different level of confidence in Aria's eyes. They were shining in a pearly azure hue.

“ I don't care, David. I don't care what happens afterward. I need to save you. That's all that matters at the moment. ”

“Aria, you don't understand what you're doing!" David shouted, his voice cracking with fear and desperation. "Selene's power is too dangerous!”

Aria's expression remained resolute. "I know, David. But I can't let you die.”

David struggled against the chains, his skin burning as the hellish fire intensified. "Please, Aria, listen to me! This power will consume you!”

A feral growl escaped Aria's lips as the blue energy swirled around her, growing in intensity. Aria's hair whipped around her face, her eyes glowing with the light of the sorceress.

Perhaps it was the illusive light in that dimension or David's own fears, he saw Aria's face change and contort. She didn't seem like herself anymore.

David's heart broke anew, seeing the woman he loved on the brink of losing herself. "Aria, I love you. I love you more than anything. But this isn't the way. Please, don't let her take you.”

He crawled towards Aria, his body aching, the fire still licking at his skin. "Aria, please," he whispered, reaching out to her. "Come back to me."

Aria turned to him, her face a mix of determination mingled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, David. I can't."

She closed her eyes, embracing the power of Selene fully. The blue energy enveloped her, and with a blinding flash, David reached out, hoping against hope that somehow, Aria would come back to him.

With an agonized cry, Aria thrust her hands forward, sending a shockwave of blue energy toward the chains. They exploded in a burst of light and fire, shattering into pieces. David fell to the ground, free but weakened.

***

Elara choked on the water as she emerged on the other side of the Lycan kingdom.

Taking only a few moments to gather herself, she ran through the corridors to find Ester and Alpha Sebastian.

Her head spun with the haze that still clouded her brain and eyes. She felt extremely weak but her paranoia kept her awake.

Strangely the castle looked very deserted but the courtyard and the roads looked full of people.

They were searching. The guards, the soldiers, the entire kingdom seemed like they were on high alert.

It then dawned on her. They must have been searching for her or more importantly, Aria.

She ran out towards them, trying to shout but her voice failed her.

When she finally stumbled into the clearing where they were searching, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ester! Alpha Sebastian!" Elara cried out, her voice trembling with fear and desperation.

Ester was the first to reach her, her eyes wide with concern. "Elara, what happened? Where were you? We had been worried sick!”

She looked around looking for Aria but found no trace, so she looked back at Elara and asked, “ Where is Aria?”

Alpha Sebastian joined them, his face also a mask of worry. "Speak, Elara. Tell us what happened." He urged when Elara said nothing but kept looking between them.

Elara struggled to catch her breath, her words coming out in ragged gasps. "Aria... she... she invoked Selene's power. David is... I tried to help, but my powers were useless there.”

Ester's face went pale, and she knelt beside Elara, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as her eyes frowned in confusion.

“ We don't understand Elara. Selene?

Aria? David? Did you go to the dark dimensions? ”

Elara gulped. She had forgotten that they knew nothing about the latest developments.

There were a lot of explanations that were due.

“ May I get a glass of water please? ”

Ester nodded, “ Let's go inside. ”

They supported Elara as she limped back inside. The dark dimension was no joke. It was like a living, breathing parasite leeching anything in its vicinity.

After some tense minutes of detailed explanation, silence prevailed in the room.

No one spoke for some time.

Ester finally grabbed a bottle, chugging it down before going beside Elara, and squeezing her shoulder.

“Elara, this is terrible. Did you leave Aria behind in the dark dimensions when you came back? ”

Elara shook her head, her tears flowing freely. "I don't know. She... she forced me out of her body…the dimension was collapsing. I had to get out. I couldn't save them.”

She kept sobbing, guilt splashing with her tears.

Ester's eyes filled with tears as well as she looked at Elara. "Her baby, Elara. What about her baby?"

Elara's sobs grew louder, her voice breaking. "I don't know, Ester. I don't know what happened to the baby. Aria was so determined to save David, she didn't care about any consequences.”

Sebastian's face was a mask of anguish as he looked between them. "We'll do whatever it takes to bring them back. Wherever they might be. ”

His words were directed at Ester. She looked like she was about to break down as well.

“Elara, is there any way to trace the energy she used? Anything we can follow?”