CHAPTER 82
Guyss! Sorry for the late upload huhu.
They were currently in the void of nothingness. The void where Sorayael met the two earlier.
Velthira snorted softly, shaking her head. "Of course I did. You think I went through all that chaos with him just for fun? We got married. But... it all started falling apart not long after."
Her voice grew quieter, tinged with something bittersweet.
By the time she turned twenty, Velthira had grown into the image of strength and grace that none could ignore.
Trained in both the sword and the etiquette of nobility, she carried herself like fire cloaked in silk. The name Velthira Retamis was no longer whispered in scorn behind closed doors-it was spoken with either reverence or jealousy.
Still, despite her nobility, the wild energy never left her-especially not when Zeviel was around.
The Grand Duke studied her for a long while. His eyes, once stern, softened into something heavier-resigned love.
'I know that she's right.. but she's still a baby for me..'
Finally, he sighed, sinking into his seat.
'tch' - Velthira (??_??)
One month later...
The Retamis Estate bloomed with lanterns and light.
Under a twilight sky woven with silk banners and silver petals, Velthira stood at the edge of the marble altar. Her gown shimmered like stars, and her eyes-usually defiant and sharp-held a tender storm of emotion.
Zeviel waited for her at the altar, not in polished armor, but a deep navy cloak with the Retamis crest embroidered subtly into the hem. He looked like the man he always was-mischief tamed by loyalty.
He tried to wipe his impending tears so that Velthira wouldn't see them and teased him for being a crybaby.
'Damn, she's really gorgeous.'
As she reached him, he leaned in and whispered with that infuriating smile, "Still time to run if you've changed your mind."
She stepped on his foot. "Say run one more time and I'll stab you with the cake knife."
'Wife, hindi pa nga tapos ang kasal namin!?' - Velthira.
Everyone saw the ceremony.
But no one saw the chill in the stars that night. No one noticed the subtle shift in the sky-as if fate was holding its breath.
As they kissed, as the cheers echoed into the air, the constellations blinked.
Because joy was not meant to last forever.
The garden of Retamis Estate glistened under the soft light of morning. Dew clung to rose petals and curled vines, and the air carried that post-rain stillness-where the whole world felt suspended, quiet, listening.
Velthira leaned against the veranda post, her long silver braid draped over her shoulder, lazily watching the estate's staff bustle around with folded laundry and crates of fresh goods. She held a warm cup of herbal tea in her hands, her gaze calm but far away.
She finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Do you miss getting smacked in the face with a scabbard?"
She flushed and smacked his arm, but he only laughed, capturing her wrist gently and pulling her toward him.
Velthira sighed, surrendering to the moment as she leaned into his chest.
The garden was still. Even the wind held its breath.
For once, there was nothing to fight. No orders to follow. No poisons to detect. No shadows lurking at the edge of the world. Just him and her together.
She tilted her head up to him, skeptical. "Even if the world turns its back?"
He kissed her forehead. "Then I'll face it with you. We'll fight the stars themselves if we must."
They both laughed-quietly, the kind of laughter meant only for two people who knew every scar, every secret, and chose each other anyway.
That night, Velthira lit the lanterns herself. She placed them along the corridor to their bedroom, soft orange flickers swaying in time with the gentle music playing from the sitting room.
Zeviel found her there, half-asleep under the stars on their private balcony. He covered her with a blanket, crouching beside her.
She blinked up. "It's the firelight."
But across the world, the stars began to turn.
A corrupt one, ancient and half-forgotten, stirred from slumber. Greedy for ruin, it reached down into Earth X-not with subtle whispers, but with howling force. The Emperor, blinded by ambition, had foolishly opened a gate he could no longer close.
And the vassals-those bound to his bloodline-felt the call first. Twisted by the corrupt star's poison, they snapped their chains. Maddened. Uncontainable.
The Grand Duke Retamis, loyal and formidable, was the first name they sought.
His estate-Resplendent, vast, and.. proud are now... a target.
The skies above the Retamis Estate turned a sickly gray-choked with ash and screaming winds. The once-pristine banners bearing the Grand Duke's sigil flailed in chaos, torn by the shockwaves of battle.
It started without warning.
A silence had crept through the air that morning, eerie and cold, before the roar of explosions shattered it all.
Arcane sigils glowed in the distance. Fireballs and shadow spears soared from every direction.
Swordmasters-men and women of noble ranks, once loyal-had turned, their eyes dim, their movements monstrous.
But they were being slaughtered.
Blood painted the marble floors. Courtyard statues were cracked, fountains ran red, and every hallway echoed with the ringing clash of steel.
In the outer courtyard, Velthira caught the scent of smoke and blood.
Something was wrong.
She jolted up from her seat in the garden. Her breath hitched, her heartbeat skyrocketing.
Before he could finish his sentence, Velthira was already running. They ran-boots hitting the ground in a thunderous rhythm as panic and urgency pushed them forward.
And when they entered the grand hallway of the estate-
Everything stopped.
Corpses lay across the crimson carpet. Some were maids. Others were knights she knew by name. Blood dripped from the walls like melted paint. A chandelier swung wildly overhead, as if mourning what it lit below.
Velthira's hand trembled at her side.
'Where is he?!'
Her voice cracked as the thought gripped her chest like claws.
'He's the only one who showed me how to walk in this world... please... not him too.'
He parried the strike just in time, sparks flying.
Her eyes glistened with tears, but she knew better than to argue. She sprinted through the ruined halls, her boots splashing in blood, her fists clenched.
Ahead, a group of magicians and corrupted swordsmen were converging on a familiar wing-the Grand Duke's office.
With a cry that shook the corridor, she launched forward, drawing her blade and activating her mana. Wind spiraled around her, her sword humming with furious light. The mages cast hexes, but Velthira's wrath was faster.
She leapt. Dodged. Slashed.
All down.
Pain laced her arm from a firebolt, but she pressed on. Every strike was fueled by memory-by the warmth of her father's voice, the late-night tea talks, the way he had tucked her in when she was young and afraid.
She burst into the chamber.
And there-amid overturned furniture, broken glass, and blood-was the Grand Duke.
Still breathing.
He was slumped against the wall, his usually regal hair stained in red, but his eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice.
He coughed weakly. "You came..."
Behind her, more enemies approached. She stood up, blade still in hand, standing between the Grand Duke and death.
She no longer felt fear.
Only fury.
Outside, Zeviel cut through the attackers, teeth gritted, one arm bloodied. "Retamis doesn't fall today! Not while I stand!"
Above them all, a star trembled-a corrupted one. Watching and smiling.
'The peace was over, child bearer of Auctoritas.' the corrupted constellation whispered.
Liora came rushing into the ruined corridor, blood staining her once-immaculate robes, her breathing ragged. Behind her, the estate was crumbling under the weight of betrayal and bloodshed. Swords clashed. Spells crackled. Death whispered in every shattered wall.
Velthira's eyes lit up in relief. They were running for their life, trying to save each other, fending off the enemy's attacks.
But.. behind them.. a presence appeared.
A mage, cloaked in violet-black aura, stepped through the archway with measured steps, his eyes aglow with corruption. He was powerful-far beyond the others.
Liora's body stilled. Her hand twitched on the hilt of her blade.
'I-I need to s-save them..'
Then she smiled. It was soft, tender and brave.
But Zeviel grabbed her arm. "We can't stay any longer!"
Velthira helped him while tears were falling. She needs to decide.
Velthira turned her head one more time to see her sister but she were just in time to see a swordsman breach the corner and-
stab Liora.
'N-No way..'
The blade pierced through her from behind, her body jerking forward with the impact. Her smile faltered. A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Everything slowed. Liora looked at her baby sister, Velthira, one more time before she fell to the ground.
Her heart cracked, like glass fracturing beneath the weight of a lifetime's worth of love as someone who witnessed her sister's body slowly falling while gasping for air.
She wanted to run to her but she couldn't.. until she saw her sister... being burned by the mage.. painfully and mercilessly.
Velthira wants to cry and stay still for awhile but there was no time to mourn. Zeviel pulled her, his own voice hoarse. "Vel, the Grand Duke.. his condition is worse."
Velthira cried but decided to save the Grand Duke first.
They ran.
Every step felt like betrayal.
Every breath is a knife.
............
They escaped into the forest-mud-caked boots, trembling hands, hearts on fire with grief. Beneath a hidden cave, the world stilled for a brief, cruel moment.
The Grand Duke was laid against the stone wall, breathing shallowly, each rise of his chest thinner than the last.
Velthira fell beside him, her aura glowing faintly as she pressed her hands to his wounds. "Please... Please work... please..."
But she knew it wasn't healing and her power wasn't enough.
Her tears flowed freely, dropping onto his blood-stained coat.
His voice trembled, heavy with memory.
The Grand Duke's lips trembled into a faint smile. "When I first saw you, I promised myself I'd care for you. That I'd cherish you the same way I cherished her..."
He coughed. Blood flecked the corner of his mouth.
The Grand Duke smiles, seeing Velthira's face one more time.
It wasn't raining that time, but the soil was wet due to Velthira's tears when the Grand Duke's breathing.. stopped.
The silence was deafening.
Velthira's screams filled the cave.
Zeviel stood nearby, clenching his fists, his jaw tight. When he turned and saw Velthira's trembling frame over the Grand Duke's body, something inside him cracked.
'My wife.. and my Father-in-law..'
He knelt, wrapping his arms around her as she cried into his chest.
Velthira clutched Zeviel's sleeve, breathless, broken.
She nodded faintly.
And they ran-bleeding, grieving-leaving behind the ruins of a home that had once taught Velthira how to live.
The stars above flickered.
And far, far beyond, one star-a corrupt star-laughed.