Chapter 58: My beginning...and End!!

**Nora’s POV**

Soon the lights of the day gave way to the sparkling glitter of Gemini twins, trying to penetrate through the small opening as if fighting the dark shadows of the dungeon. I never felt so lonely, so sad. The coldness of the dungeon was creeping like a serpent through my veins. I was not necessarily sad but just feeling empty. You can’t be strong all the time. Sometimes you need to be alone to let your tears out. I let my guard down and gave way to my real feelings as I shed down a few tears. This sudden turn of events has forced me to question my identity, but all I ever wanted was to be myself.

The dungeon door burst open as I sensed the silhouette of a figure. I don’t even have to look at his face to see who is he.

“Ronin”, I gasped as I shifted my body to sit. He came near me and sat by the side, supporting me to sit.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“What do you think?” I retorted, raising my hand to show him the hand-cuffs as my eyes pierced his.

“Do you think I like it that way? We had no choice,” he scowled.

“Oh no, it’s not about your likes or choice. It just proves how you all are so scared of me or else who chains a pregnant woman and dumps her in the dungeon?” I scoffed at him, thrashing my angst on his way.

“Let me make this clear. I am no Rorik who will come in your sweet talks, and it’s just a matter of tonight. Tomorrow, you will be free,” he stated.

“Oh really, thank you so much for freeing me for your own selfish interest,” I taunted him.

“You already know, I am not interested in becoming the king; I never was. What I am doing now is for my people. Once it is done, we both will leave this planet,” he gasped.

“What makes you think I will want to live my whole life with you? I hate you,” I snarled.

“No, you don’t hate me. You are just angry at me for some reason; I wish I knew the reason. I will make sure that it doesn’t come in the way of our relationship,” he replied as he put his hand on my stomach. His muscles flinched, and a smile flickered on his face as he must have felt the slurping motions of his babies inside me.

“I love you”, he whispered as he tugged me in his warm embrace.

Suddenly, the coldness creeping my body crept out, and now all I feel is just his warmth.

“I love you,” I replied with a single tear escaping my eyes.

I wish I could stay like this my whole life. I fell into a deep slumber. The dawn peeped on my face through the window. I was crumbled on his body with my head settling on his chest while legs intertwined between his thighs. The buzz of my movements woke him up. He gave me a gentle smile as he kissed my forehead, “From today, it will be a new beginning. I won’t let your anger triumph over your love”, he whispered as he left the dungeon.

Soon, a few guards came and released me from the chain-linked wall, but collars and handcuffs still straddled me. I was taken into a large hall full of aliens. Their glares were slithering on me as if I would kill all of them now. I wish I could. I was led to the crowd of people. My killer instincts calmed on the sight of Meghan and Liam. Rorik looked at me, but I could sense hesitation in his glare; maybe he realized how badly he fucked up himself yesterday.

The icy glare of Sypha was forcing me to unleash my primal instinct and smash her head. I wanted to rip off those lips who dared smirk at me, but right now, I can’t let Rebekah take over me. This bitch will have to wait for her turn.

“Nora…Oh, sorry, Rebekah, I wondered what I should pack for our outing? If I can get some forecast of the weather of witchy world of Azra?” she smirked.

“Take the shroud. You won’t even imagine what lurks behind the enemy lines. It can be hostile for bitches like you, and if not, then I will make sure of it,” I snarled.

Rorik put his hand on my shoulder, “No”, he warned me, looking at his uncle and mom approaching us.

“Don’t hold back to shoot one of her friends if she misbehaves?” he told Rorik, but his cold, creepy, black orbs were pointed at me, burning my soul.

“Rorik, there is a possibility that Crescent Lure can be at Land of Azra. Try to find it and hand it over directly to me. Don’t let it fall in the hands of this witch,” his mother stated to him as her lips draw to a visible frown on me.

Meghan and I chuckled at each other as Meghan moved her hand towards the scarf covering her neck. I was so tempted to ask his mother about this Crescent Lure, but then it can raise suspicion. So, I decided to leave it on my visions, till now they have guided me where I am so in future also, they can enlighten me about its power.

Soon, Rorik, Sypha, Meghan and Liam seeped in the rover, galloping towards, my best guess is, of course, Isle of death. Mine and Sypha’s murderous glares continued throughout the ride. Rorik was visibly upset looking at us. Ronin was nowhere to be seen. Soon we landed on the ground, adjacent to the starting point of Isle of Death. The point ahead of which rovers can’t go.

As soon as we leapt on the ground, I could see a giant shadow covering the huge area ahead of us as my eyes raked up the sky. In his serpent form, Ronin flying over the sky approached our direction. He lands near us as the whirlwind of sand gushes at the area of his impact. Zach was riding on him.

Rorik gestured to me as he moved towards Ronin.

“Come”, I gushed to Meghan and Liam. Liam seemed excited, but Meghan was wary, unsure as her fingers clenched around tightly over my hand.

“It’s okay; I had been through this many times; it’s completely safe”, I assured her. Sypha yanked on us, “Come on, Meghan, at least he is less scary than your witchy friend”, she smirked.

“I may be a witch, but I’m still better than a bitch like you”, I taunted as Rorik was frustrated looking at our catfight.

“Nora, we both will go first and find the crater while others will come in next round”, Rorik stated as I took the front position just beside his long dendofibrils to get a clear view of the area we need to scout. Rorik sat behind me with his bag pack.

Ronin took off towards the foggy area ahead of us, seeping through the resistance offered by misty grey winds. I patted on Ronin’s back.

“Scout for a lone one”, I instructed as the area below was flooded with craters almost overlapping each other. Visibility was unclear, but slight tints of fluorescence can be seen between the gloomy mist. The snarls of these neon serpents could be heard like a death song against the eerie of complete silence. One tumble, and we will become the food of these venomous creepy crawlies. Soon we were deep in the eye of Isle of Death. The view is so beautiful and mesmerizing, as if a wonder of the world. The shadowy mist did not even let the rays of Collapsar penetrate through it. Even for the bright morning, it looked like dusk.

The same dusk I saw in my dreams.

Soon we were above the area where the distance between the craters increased considerably, and their sizes grew bigger as hissings intensified. The smoky darkness was obscuring my vision, making it blurred and vague.

“Ronin, can you sweep down? I am getting low visibility. Can you fly below the misty level?” I snapped at him. I felt the high pull of gravity as if my weight is considerably increased, so flying at a low level can be very risky as Ronin must be feeling the same pull. In contrast, winds were slapping our faces with frictional force. But what other option do we have?

As soon as he lowered himself, my eyes fell on a lone crater on the right side, a perfect oval as if man-made. I didn’t know exactly if it was the same one in my dream, but the goose-bumps emerged on my body as my instincts aggravated and a feeling of déjà vu snicked in my mind that I was here in some other time. I was flown here in the past precisely the same way this time.

I tapped Ronin, “On your right”, I mumbled, my voice refusing to come out as if struck in my throat. Ronin turned, lowering his body further, the jerk embroiled us, and I felt that we would be dragged straight into the crater, but Ronin held on to his nerves as we landed just next to the crater; believe me, it was the bumpiest landing ever.

The ground was clear of serpents. Rorik assessed the surroundings and helped me to climb down. I looked at that crater warily, trying to lift my heavy feet towards it.

The more I closed the distance, the clear the memory became.

I kneeled towards the rock on which I was clinging in my dreams. My fingers brushed through the scratches on the rock. Those were my scratches when I cried, screamed, and yelled for help. My bloodied fingers tried to dig through them to help my grip on them as I tried to crawl out of it. My eyes loomed at the fluorescent serpents lurking in the depths of the crater, ready to prowl on me. My heart missed a beat as the hair on my nape rose.

I could feel the warm aura of Ornith as he held my hand and snuck me out of it. I moved to the same place where he turned his face, and I saw him for the first time. My world froze as it was love at first sight for me. He must be reading my feelings so evident in my eyes as he smirked and took me ahead, holding my hand. I paid little attention to the mesmerizing view of the purple sky against the contrast of orangish sands as my unperturbed attention was focused on Ornith. This was the beginning of our love story. This place is the witness of it.

“Nora! Are you okay?” Rorik jolted me out of my trance as I didn’t even realize I was sobbing. Shit! What just happened? This is the first time; I have felt love for Ornith.

Rebekah started to dominate me as darkness took over me. Visions in photographic mode began to swipe over my mind. I saw the visions of Ornith taking me to the old palace, my meeting with Ozarius, witches coven, serpent God, Ornith’s first metamorphosis, visions of Nhala and Dasan, Ornith with a dark-eyed woman and finally I was here again clinging onto this same crater as Ornith stabbed Dasan and pushed me inside the crater. I fell into the deep fluorescent oblivion as I screamed, “Dasan”. This was the end of our love story. This place is the witness of my end.

I dropped to the ground and cried out my heart as Rorik and Meghan tried to console me.

“Nora! What is wrong?” Meghan tried to ask me. Rorik was brushing my back.

“Please, I beg you, don’t go there. Ornith will kill everyone. He killed me, stabbed Dasan. He won’t spare anyone. If we go inside, there is no returning,” I mumbled between my breaths.

“Enough drama queen, are you trying to fool us? If Ornith killed you and that fucker Dasan, how come you both are alive and Ornith is dead? Don’t try to cross us, or I will push you now. We are going, and that is final,” Sypha snarled with his cold eyes smirking on me.

“No, don’t please trust me”, I pleaded.

“Nora, we don’t know what happened between you and Ornith, and we hardly care. We are just going to free Ronin from the curse and make him a three-headed serpent to defeat ghouls,” Rorik tried to reassure me.

“No, everything will turn out badly. That place is cursed, and there is no way out.”

“Oh, then explain, how did Ornith and Rebekah come back from Land of Azra if there is no way out? All of your statements are contradicting; you are lying,” Sypha snapped, and she pointed her gun at Meghan, “One more word and her brain will scatter on your lap”, she snarled and I looked towards Ronin, in his serpent form.