Chapter 277: Stolen Hope
[Music recommendation: Eternal Eclipse - Autumn Moon]
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"Damn bitch..." Kaden cursed through gritted teeth as he struggled to rise, his entire body aching from the brutal throw.
At almost the same moment, Gwen reached the final words of the reversal spell.
Right before the commotion, Gavriel had kept his eyes fixed on Gwen as she recited the reversal spell, while a part of his attention remained on his wife outside, ensuring that no one dared to lay a hand on her.
As Gwen uttered the final words of the incantation, something else brushed against his senses.
A strange energy fluctuation.
His eyes slowly shifted from Gwen to the statue of Vorra standing before him.
With every word that left Gwen’s lips, the energy surrounding the statue subtly changed, as though something hidden deep within it had begun to stir.
Gavriel’s eyes narrowed, and for the briefest of moments, his attention focused on the statue as he tried to discern what was happening.
Before he could identify it, the crash from the entrance drew his gaze away from it.
His eyes instinctively landed on Aliana standing over Kaden, who lay sprawled at her feet.
Before she could catch sight of his claws poised before Gwen’s eyes, Gavriel willed them back into their human form without loosening his grip around Gwen’s throat.
Even so, as he realised Kaden had attempted to go after Aliana, his eyes darkened with murderous intent.
Completely unaware of Gavriel’s quick action, Aliana’s gaze slowly swept across the terrified crowd before settling on her husband. Seeing him standing there, completely unharmed, instantly eased the knot of anxiety that had been tightening around her heart.
She then noticed Gwen suspended in the air by his grip before finally turning to Cedric, who stood beside him.
The moment she saw him standing there, alive and seemingly unharmed, the breath she had been holding escaped her lungs in relief.
At that exact second, the blood collected within the chalice burst into a crimson glow.
The invisible thread connecting Gwen and Cedric snapped apart as a powerful gust of wind swept through the chamber, forcing Cedric to stagger backwards.
His hand instinctively flew to his chest as the suffocating darkness that had gripped his heart for so long finally loosened its hold. The crushing weight clouding his thoughts lifted, and the invisible chains that had bound his mind and soul simply... vanished.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he could think. He could breathe. He could truly feel.
Slowly, Cedric lifted his eyes, and they found Aliana standing by the doorway.
At that time, everything else faded away.
His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her before it began to race with the same intense yearning he had always felt for her.
His single wish to see her once more was finally fulfilled.
Overwhelmed with emotion, tears welled in his eyes as a heartfelt whisper escaped his lips.
"Ali...ana..."
Aliana, on the other hand, could finally see the warmth and clarity return to her friend’s amber eyes.
A small yet warm smile touched her lips as she softly called out to him, "Ced..."
Before he could stop himself, Cedric took a hesitant step towards her.
The sound of his name falling from her lips made his heart tremble. He took another step, then another, his movements unsteady after everything he had endured.
Watching him struggle towards her, Aliana felt her heart ache at the sight of how much they took from him. Unable to bear seeing him suffer another second in this cursed place, she instinctively moved forward to close the distance between them.
As their eyes remained locked on one another, it finally began to sink in for Cedric that the nightmare imprisoning him had truly come to an end. The darkness that had consumed his life for so long no longer held him captive.
A warm, genuine smile slowly spread across his face as hope- something he had almost forgotten existed quietly found its way back into his heart.
Right as he was about to step beyond the ritual circle, his body abruptly froze.
A sinister heaviness suddenly settled over the chamber.
The candle flames surrounding the altar suddenly surged higher before twisting into an unnatural emerald green, bathing the temple in an eerie glow.
A sharp, sudden agonising pain tore through his chest. His body stiffened, and slowly he lowered his gaze, only to find the sacrifice mark branded above his heart glowing with an ominous green light.
Aliana’s heart lurched violently. "What...?"
The word had barely escaped her lips when a soft laugh drifted through the chamber. It was gentle, almost melodic, yet it carried a sinister delight that made every hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "My... how touching."
"My precious groom..." the sweet voice cooed. "Such a tragically delicious soul you have."
An uneasy silence swept through the chamber as every eye slowly turned towards the towering statue of Vorra.
"You have kept me waiting," the voice sang.
Then... a deafening crack shattered the silence.
Thin fractures raced across its surface before green light seeped through every crack. Yet the stone did not crumble.
Instead, countless streams of emerald mist drifted from it, gathering above the altar until they formed the translucent figure of a terrifying woman with grotesque spider legs.
A cruel smile rested upon her lips as though she had been patiently waiting for this very moment.
Her emerald eyes remained fixed on Cedric, and the sight alone made Aliana’s blood run cold.
Warning bells blared in Aliana’s head at the sight of the woman.
Before she could even think, she broke into a run towards Cedric, but everything happened far too quickly.
Just as she was about to reach him, a tall figure suddenly appeared before her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back at the exact moment a luminous green spider leg shot through the air at lightning speed and pierced straight through Cedric’s chest.
Had that figure not pulled her away, the deadly strike would have impaled Aliana as well.
Her trembling hand remained outstretched toward Cedric as her wide, light grey eyes locked onto his face.
A painful gasp escaped Cedric’s lips.
Moments later, warm blood spilled from his mouth as his amber eyes slowly met hers, disbelief and sorrow flickering within them as if even he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Realising this was the end, tears slipped down his face. His bloodied lips trembled as he tried to say her name one last time.
"A... li..."
Before he could even complete her name, the spider leg tore itself free with brutal force, leaving a gaping hole in his chest.
Aliana’s tear-filled eyes watched the light slowly fade from Cedric’s amber gaze before his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
A heart-wrenching scream ripped from her throat. "NOOOO!"