Free Web NovelChapter 360: The Heart Of The Flame
[Music recommendation: Woodkid - Are You There]
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Such was the raw power of a celestial being.
The man standing before her was the son of one of the strongest gods in existence, the God of Fire. There was nothing less to expect from him, especially when his devastation was so profound it broke Evelyn’s heart into a million pieces.
Evelyn knew she was the reason for his suffering. She was the one who had driven him to this state of ruin.
Back when she had healed Damien from his corruption, Evelyn had intended to blow up the entire castle along with herself.
However, the memory she witnessed in that moment was a vision shown to her by her mother, the Goddess Theia.
Evelyn knew then that this particular memory held a far greater significance.
It changed everything, and even though her demise was inevitable regardless of her choice, she knew she had to change her path.
Evelyn realised that while the explosion she planned would kill every dark entity in that dilapidated castle, it would not kill the sealed Azrath.
In fact, the massive release of her divine energy and her soul would be exactly what Selene needed to break his seal, making him more powerful to bring ultimate destruction to the world.
So she had stopped because she understood that her sacrifice was actually the key to resurrecting Azrath. Whether it was her blood or her soul being absorbed by Azrath, it would eventually allow him to break the seal on his own.
So she chose to stay alive to ensure that after the ritual to revive him was complete, she would make use of the bond that still connected her to him in order to damage his soul and break the bond Zafira had formed between them in her past life.
Being aware of the fact that Solaira had never truly died in the past, Azrath had never been able to absorb her soul or use her powers back then.
She and Malakai had only been called back by the gods and trapped in the world between the living and the dead to suffer the consequences of defying them, but they never truly died, which ensured that Azrath remained sealed for thousands of years.
However, in this life, she was finally able to free herself from that extremely dark magic.
Her death finally nullified their soul-binding magic with Azrath, and she managed to inflict heavy damage during the time he had temporarily used her blood to infuse with his.
And just when he had connected his tentacles with hers in order to absorb her completely, she used that opportunity to take back her blood and powers, which he thought he had complete control over.
There were many ways it could have gone wrong, as it was a delicate and intricate process, but she still managed to push through because her mother was there with her.
Evelyn knew it was the Goddess who had protected her soul from being absorbed by Azrath when she was first sacrificed at the altar. That was how she ended up in the land between the living and the dead instead of disappearing from the face of the planet.
She also knew that while she was in that bridge between worlds, Goddess Theia had healed her soul, allowing it to recover and return to its true form after the heavy damage it suffered from the dark ritual and the breaking of her bond with Azrath.
But in all of this, what she had not seen coming was the man before her. This man, who loved her more than his own life, was about to destroy everything simply because she was no longer there. She knew he would be devastated and heartbroken, but she had never expected this.
Yet, who was she kidding? This man had once threatened the gods, vowing to destroy the world for separating them, and he would absolutely do it again. Such was his love for her.
It was an all-consuming, maddening, and all-fulfilling love.
Their love.
"You fool..." Evelyn whispered, her voice a ghost of a sound as a tender smile graced her lips. Her golden eyes shifted from Ivan to the towering dragon, and a memory from their ancient past surged through her mind.
Solaira stood in front of Malakai atop a hill, the same massive dragon towering behind him. It was the first time she had seen the creature in his full, magnificent form, and admiration sparkled in her eyes as she asked softly, "So what’s his name?"
Malakai tilted his head slightly at her question, confusion flickering across his face. "Name? Why does he need a name? He’s just the ultimate form of my fire, Sol."
She frowned at him, clearly unimpressed with his answer. "So what? You’ve still given him a form, so he should have a name, don’t you think?"
The dragon, who had been watching her with unmistakable fondness, released a low rumbling grunt as if agreeing with her. A radiant smile instantly bloomed on her face, and she turned triumphantly towards Malakai.
"See? Even he agrees with me."
A faint curve touched Malakai’s lips as his molten orange eyes lingered affectionately on the radiant woman before him. "Then how about you give him a name?"
"Can I?" she asked eagerly, her eyes lighting up.
When he gave a slight nod, her entire face brightened.
Stepping forward, she gently reached out and placed her hand on the dragon’s burning, spiked nose.
The beast, capable of incinerating armies, closed his eyes in total submission at her touch. "Since you are the heart of Malakai’s flame," she whispered, "I shall call you Kai from this day forward."
Malakai watched her with quiet adoration, but the warmth on his face lasted only a moment before it suddenly faded.
"Why does only he get a name and I don’t?" he asked abruptly. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Solaira blinked at him in surprise. "What’s wrong with you? You already have a name, remember? Malakai."
"But you gave him a name and not me." His voice lowered slightly. "I already call you Sol. What about me?" A strange flicker of jealousy and possessiveness crossed his expression and it was directed at his own fire.
Solaira stared at him in disbelief before blinking twice, and then a burst of bright, musical laughter escaped her. Yet her laughter faded quickly when she noticed the deepening crease between his brows.
Shaking her head at his childish jealousy, she stepped closer and gently cupped his face in her hands.
"Fine," she said fondly. "Since he and you are one, I’ll call both of you Kai. Besides, I thought of Kai because it’s short for Mala-kai... which is you. Only you."
Her answer seemed to satisfy something deep within him.
To show it, Malakai suddenly pulled her into his arms and lifted her effortlessly off the ground before capturing her lips in a fierce, breath-stealing kiss.
When he finally pulled back, his voice dropped into a quiet, possessive whisper against her lips.
"I will forever be your Kai. Only you are allowed to call me that, and I will always head to that call."
With that, another teardrop escaped her golden eyes as she stared at the dragon and finally called, "Kai..."
The dragon, who had gone rampant and destroyed most of the city of Zareth and was now spreading his destructive fire tornadoes across the world, blinked his massive fiery eyes and slowly closed his jaws to look at the familiar woman standing before him with a massive golden phoenix behind her.
He saw her raise her hand towards him, and a low guttural growl left his chest, making many think he was about to attack her.
But Evelyn continued to stand there, her hand still raised before him.
Everyone watching flinched when the massive dragon suddenly slowed himself until his enormous nose came to rest just before her palm.
The smile on Evelyn’s lips widened, and she finally stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the beast as she whispered, "It’s good to see you, Kai."
She caressed the massive frame of his jaw, earning another growl from him that sounded more like a pained whimper, as if he was reciprocating her feelings, before he closed his eyes to revel in her gentle touch.
Evelyn continued, "Thank you for protecting my body until now... but I need you to stop the destruction in this world."
An angry rumble vibrated in his chest. Evelyn continued, her voice soft with regret. "Forgive me. Forgive me for making you endure all this pain. But I am alright now. You need to stop, Kai. I need you to stop so that I can reach Ivan."
The dragon opened his molten orange eyes and let out a low growl, and Evelyn knew in her heart that he understood her. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Thank you, Kai." She caressed him lovingly one last time before the dragon straightened his massive head.
He let out a roar, loud and clear for the entire city to hear and at that command, the fire tornadoes that had descended from the sky across the globe finally dissipated, vanishing into nothingness.
