Chapter 132: The Gods' Prison
Chapter 132: The Gods' Prison
Melissa’s POV
My body lay on moist, chilly stone, and I stirred as a piercing pain throbbed in my brain. For a little while, I was unable to recall what had happened as my breath came in short gasps. The struggle, the huge shape of the dark god, the sky breaking, and the blinding light that engulfed everything all came crashing back.
I shot to my feet. "Kane!"
Quiet.
I was by myself.
When I stumbled to my feet, my heart was racing. The air around me was heavy, and thick with something unnatural. Something rotting beneath the surface and the scent of old dust. All around, there was darkness, broken only by the faint glimmer of spooky, blue-lit symbols lining the walls.
The battlefield was not here. Even this realm was different.
"Where am I?" My voice hardly reverberated as I whispered.
I tried to reach Kane by using all of my senses. Nothing. We felt as though something was obstructing our connection, making it seem distant and muffled.
I balled my fists up. "No. I won’t lose you."
A loud growl rumbled from the darkness. My muscles tensed as two glowing yellow eyes flickered in the darkness.
I was being watched by something.
Lydia lifted herself off the stony ground and put a hand to her temple. Her gut churned because the air here seemed strange, twisted with ancient magic.
Zephyr moaned, shaking dust from his coat a few steps away. "That could have gone better."
Lydia gave a sharp exhale. "Are you Melissa? Kane?
Zephyr glanced around. Just endless ruins. It appeared as though this location had been deserted for centuries because of the worn and cracked stone walls.
"They’re not here," he whispered. "We’re alone."
Lydia’s eyes narrowed. "That’s not an accident. We were drawn here by something.
Zephyr dusted himself off. "Yeah, well, whatever it was, I’m not a fan." A loose pebble skittered across the floor as he kicked it.
Lydia walked over to the closest wall and ran her fingertips over the odd markings. The symbols hummed as she touched them.
Her breath caught. "Zephyr, look at this."
He stepped closer. The sculptures weren’t just decorations—they were warnings. Images of wars, of gods trapped in the sky, of a monster power coming from the darkness.
And at the center of it all—an unexpected figure, radiating strength.
Lydia traced the outline of the figure’s face, comprehension dawning on her.
"This wasn’t about Darius," she said. "He was never the real threat."
Zephyr’s brows furrowed. "What are you saying?"
Lydia turned to him and spoke solemnly.
"The real enemy was always the dark deity. Darius served only as a diversion.
As I continued, my footsteps reverberated through the unending ruins, and the air became colder. The odd markings on the walls flickered, eyeing me as though they were living things.
I swear I heard whispering every few seconds.
"Melissa…"
I spun around. Nothing.
I swallowed hard, holding the hilt of my blade. "Show yourself."
No answer.
I let out a slow breath. Remain concentrated. Look for Kane. Leave this place.
But as I moved farther into the ruins, I was stopped by another sight.
In front of me was a huge archway that opened onto a courtyard with shattered statues. Unlike the rest of the ruins, these statues weren’t of warriors or gods. They were of... individuals.
Frozen with terrified looks.
With a knot in my stomach, I took a step closer. The details were eerily lifelike.
One of the statues touched my fingertips. I felt a terrible shiver run up my back. This wasn’t carved stone.
This was actual flesh that had been stoned.
The silence was broken by a piercing voice.
"You shouldn’t be here."
I spun around with my blade out. However, I didn't see anything. Nothing but shadows moving strangely along the walls.
"Melissa…"
The murmurs came again, closer this time.
I saw something scrawled beneath the statues for the first time as a blast of wind blew through the remains.
Just one sentence:
"The Queen’s Curse."
Abruptly, the air became constricted and pressed into my chest.
A voice rumbled from the shadows, deep and resonant.
"You were not the first to wield this power…"
The ruins shook.
"And you won’t be the last."
Shadows pushed at me, encircling me in an unbreakable grip, and I gasped.
A pair of bright eyes watched, flickering in the shadows.
Everything turned black after that.