Free Web NovelChapter 362: Heeding The Call
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She could feel the tension in his jaw as he resisted her, but she continued to caress him, coaxing him back to the surface.
Finally, she used her last card. "Won’t you fulfil my wish... my Kai?"
And that did it.
His own past words echoed through his mind:
’I will forever be your Kai. Only you are allowed to call me that, and I will always heed that call.’
At the sound of that name, Ivan’s thick lashes fluttered before his eyes finally opened. As they did, the destructive fire within them began to subside.
His gaze widened as he looked directly into her golden eyes, which were still shimmering with tears. Ever so slowly, the fire faded into a deep, molten orange.
In stunned silence, his eyes moved from her gaze to her radiant face, and finally to the colour of her beautiful hair, which billowed in the wind like golden sunrays.
"Sol..." he whispered.
Eve’s eyes softened further, and she smiled tenderly at him. "Yes... my love. I’m alive."
She continued to caress his cheek as she spoke again, "Forgive me, my love. I never meant to hurt you. I... I love you so much. I missed you so much."
She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his, rubbing her nose lovingly against his as he continued to stare at her in silence, seemingly unable to process what was happening.
Eve waited, keeping her eyes locked onto his. She knew he needed time to process it all, but she never once ceased her soothing touch. She kept her fingers moving along his face in a constant effort to make him feel that she was truly alive and here in front of him, held within his own arms.
Seconds passed before his lips moved again. "Eve..."
"Yes... I’m right here, in your arms. This is not a dream or an illusion, my love. I know you can feel it... my presence... the scent of my blood and my touch," she continued to reassure him.
Her voice was like soft tendrils settling into his mind, calming and grounding him all at once.
She felt his body tremble once more as the realisation finally began to seep into him. Lifting his shaky hands from her back, he cupped her face with agonising gentleness.
More tears rolled from her eyes as she instinctively leaned into his touch, causing Ivan’s breathing to hitch in his chest.
"You... are here," he whispered in disbelief, his eyes wide and fixed on her without blinking.
"Yes, I’m her-"
Before she could finish, Ivan suddenly pulled her into a crushing embrace, as if afraid she might vanish again, and claimed her lips in a fierce, desperate kiss. It was consuming, almost frantic, as though he was trying to fuse her into himself, never to lose her again.
Their hearts slammed violently against their ribs, echoing the storm of emotions raging within them, yet neither made any attempt to pull away. There was too much to feel, too much to reclaim, too much love to pour into that single moment.
Ivan whispered her name against her lips like a broken prayer, over and over again, as though saying it might make her more real. And Evelyn answered him with equal intensity, pouring every ounce of her love, her longing, her relief into the kiss.
Time seemed to blur, stretch, and dissolve around them.
When he finally pulled away, breathless and shaken, Ivan’s molten orange eyes traced her slowly, almost reverently, from head to toe, as if memorising every inch of her all over again. His gaze halted at her chest, and dread flickered through his expression as he searched for the gaping wound that had once shattered him.
But there was nothing.
Not a scar. Not a mark. Not even a trace of the agony she had endured.
His breath hitched, and in a voice that trembled with disbelief, he finally asked, "You’re alive... how?"
She gave him a beautiful smile and responded, "I’ll tell you everything later, Ivan... but for now, just know that I’m alive."
She cupped his face once again and continued, "My love... you need to stop the destruction you’ve set in motion. This battle is not over yet, but it’s time for us to end it once and for all."
At her words, Ivan’s eyes finally shifted to take in the scale of the destruction around him. The land was ablaze, volcanoes erupting across the ground, and the ancient, destructive magic he had unleashed continued to expand, devouring everything in its path when he had believed Evelyn’s body had been defiled by Azrath.
With those visuals still fresh in his mind, fury coiled like a living thing within him. Kai, towering behind him, roared again as if responding to his violent thoughts of revenge and the intense bloodlust he could not seem to control.
But he was drawn back to the present as he felt her soft, warm hand against his cheek.
"Ivan? Please... you’ll end up hurting our loved ones in the process."
Her golden eyes shifted from him to the distance below, where she saw everyone staring at them.
Ivan followed her gaze and finally noticed the people she meant. His eyes found his father, then the others, all of them retreating in panic as the destructive circle drew closer to the volcano they stood on, threatening to obliterate them.
Ivan clenched his jaw at that scene and finally closed his eyes before calling his powers back.
The magic circle beneath him hummed in response as fire began to swirl around it. He raised his hand, and the flames obeyed his command, rushing into his palm, causing the circle to disappear, leaving behind a crater where it had already consumed everything.
When Ivan opened his eyes, the cracks that had marred his skin disappeared. He stared intensely at the beautiful woman before him, his focus entirely on her.
But before they could exchange another word, both Evelyn and Ivan snapped their heads in the opposite direction. They sensed a powerful darkness heading toward them at a terrifying speed.
They did not have to guess who it was, and they were prepared.
A bolt of powerful black magic was hurled toward them.
Before it could strike, Evelyn raised her hand. Her majestic golden phoenix, soaring nearby, moved with the speed of lightning. It let out a piercing screech as a powerful golden barrier erupted around them. The attack collided with the shield, triggering a massive shockwave that rippled across the horizon.
Once the air settled around them, it revealed an ominous, sinister figure pulsing with dark magic. The energy was so heavy that a normal person would have choked and died simply by inhaling it.
The dark lord Azrath looked menacingly at the couple, his eyes pitch black, before his gaze settled on the woman. He hissed, "You... will pay for what you did to me!"
In response, Evelyn only offered a slight, cold smirk. Her eyes remained as calm as a lake, echoing the poise Solaira once possessed.
Azrath let out a scream, and six black magic circles formed beneath him, pulsing with an ominous red light. The ground trembled, followed by the deafening sound of the earth ripping open. A long object surrounded by black lightning emerged, shooting straight toward Azrath’s reach. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Azrath raised his hand and gripped the hilt of a jet-black sword. It pulsed with such immense power that every creature present felt its weight. They screeched in a dark frenzy, finally seeing their lord back in his full, terrifying form.
As soon as he gripped the sword, he cut an arc through the air, sending powerful black lightning shooting straight toward the couple once more.
Evelyn blocked the strike with her barrier again, but this time, the deflected energy did not dissipate. Instead, it shattered in every direction, raining down upon the ground below.
Wherever the lightning struck, it carved massive craters into the ground and released a choking, thick black miasma into the air.
Evelyn and Ivan’s eyes moved toward a crater that had formed on the volcano’s peak, near where their people stood. They watched as it began to release a toxic haze that spread rapidly toward the others.
Her gaze shifted back to Azrath. A cruel grin twisted his features as he revelled in the sudden stiffness of their stances. He knew they were worried. "Solaira... or should I call you Evelyn now?" he asked. "Well, no matter the name, one question remains. Will you continue to deflect my attacks with that barrier of yours and let your people die in the process?"
Azrath tilted his head slightly, his voice dripping with malice. "Every time someone inhales the black miasma released by my strikes, they will first choke upon it. Then, their organs will begin to fail, piece by piece, until they kiss their graves far too early."
Fury sparked in her cold eyes before she raised her hand. A thick golden beam shot from her palm, directed at the crater where the miasma was leaking near her loved ones. As soon as her power struck the earth, the toxic air was purified instantly.
Looking at her, Azrath smirked again. "And will you continue to do that every time you deflect my attacks, or will you finally fight as you did in the past?"
Evelyn met his gaze. In a low voice, she replied, "In the past?"
She tilted her head to the side and added, "Not like the past, Azrath. Back then, I buried you like the ancient fossil that you are. This time... I will end you."
Azrath’s face contorted with rage. He sneered and raised his sword high, screaming, "Kill them all!"
At his command, his minions let out a piercing screech, drawing every eye to the field before they charged forward with a vicious, hungry snarl.
