Chapter 300: Flight Mode
You know that feeling when, in a single day, the rug is pulled violently out from beneath your feet?
That would be a massive understatement of what Aliana was feeling right now.
In a single evening, her entire reality had shifted when her parents dropped a bombshell about the dark history of the Vanderbilt family. She was barely able to grapple with the fact that her family had been involved with a cult, and that every generation had been paying a heavy price with their blood just to exist because of her ancestors’ choices.
On top of that, she had just discovered that her own husband, the man she married, shared a home with, and slept beside every single night, was the very entity her family had been worshipping and paying that blood price to.
If that wasn’t enough to shake a person, it was the fact that he was not just some demon she had read about in that book only yesterday.
He was the Sovereign! The king of the very beings who had taken her friend’s life, and the god those greedy people worshipped while committing atrocious acts in his name. The sacrifices. Cannibalism. The human experiments. And god knew what else she remained unaware of.
She knew Gavriel was not at fault for what other people chose to do, but it was still simply too much to digest. It was impossible to think straight about anything.
Hell, calling it overwhelming wouldn’t even begin to describe the sheer chaos consuming her mind.
So she relied on the only instinct her body had left.
If you can’t fight it, then flight mode it is.
As she continued to stagger backward, her blurry eyes remained fixed on the man she felt too deeply about. With every single step she took away from him, she felt her heart being ripped apart while her lips uttering words that barely registered in her own mind.
At that moment, all she wanted to do was run.
Run from the madness threatening to make her mind explode, so she could somehow gather the shattered pieces of her thoughts and begin making sense of the terrifying reality that had just been forced upon her.
A few feet away, Gavriel remained frozen, watching her stagger backward. The agonizing chaos tearing through her heart mirrored his own, every word she had uttered striking him like a physical blow.
This... this was not how he had wanted the truth to come out.
Every fiber of his being burned to reach out, to wrap her in his arms and whisper that this changed nothing between them. Yet the absolute terror in her eyes served as a brutal reminder of the monster he truly was.
Deep within him, Bellarios stirred, restlessly. His voice a dark rasp against his subconscious: ’Don’t let her go. She is ours!’
His dark powers continued to bleed from his form, yet despite the turmoil raging within, no emotion showed on his face. He took a slow step towards her and finally whispered, "Ana..."
Aliana squeezed her eyes shut at the endearing name only he ever called her. She clutched at her chest, her fingers digging into the fabric as though she could somehow claw the ache from her heart.
"I... I need t-to..." She choked on the words, unable to finish. "I-I need to..."
Gavriel’s jaw clenched tightly, knowing she wanted to run away from him. But he simply couldn’t bring himself to accept that.
Ignoring the distance she was trying to put between them, he took another step forward.
Right as he moved, Aliana went completely rigid.
Taking advantage of the momentary stillness, Gavriel parted his lips, finally deciding to speak. "Aliana... it’s still me..."
Her heart clenched at the sheer tenderness in his voice, making her open her eyes to meet his.
They stood locked in an agonizing silence, surrounded by a swirling storm of crimson flames and howling wind.
Slowly, Gavriel raised his hand toward her face.
Just as his fingers were about to finally make contact with her skin, a voice shattered the fragile moment.
"Aliana! Are you okay?! Please say something!"
Alester’s frantic shouting boomed from beyond the wall of fire, jolting her back to glaring reality.
The small window Gavriel had just managed to open slammed shut.
With her mind and heart consumed by fear and confusion, Aliana quickly backed away from Gavriel. Without giving it a second thought, she turned toward the ring of crimson fire encircling them and ran straight into it.
Gavriel’s heart lurched to see her recklessly charge into his fire.
But before the blistering heat could even brush against her skin, the flames parted for her instantly, allowing her to break into a sprint.
Jade, waiting anxiously outside the circle, was shocked to see Aliana emerge unscathed from the opening flames. "Ali!" she called out.
But Aliana didn’t pause or reply. She kept running until she disappeared through the path she had entered from.
Gavriel remained where he was, his gaze following her until she vanished from sight. His expression slowly darkened until a wicked intent flickered behind his blood-red eyes, and a cold, devious smile curled at the corner of his lips.
’Run, my little rose... Let’s see how far you can get from this Devil.’
With that, thick smoke began to swirl around him.
Jade, still baffled by Aliana’s sudden sprint, turned to look back at the ring of fire in confusion. All she saw was a brief glimpse of someone standing within it before the flames closed in.
Then the fire roared one last time before an invisible force rippled from the centre, knocking everyone onto their backs. Seconds later, everything became eerily quiet, as though nothing had ever happened.
Shaken by the sudden turn of events, everyone frantically looked around to check if anything was out of place. The only answer they received was the now-burned banner that once bore the symbol of the Devil.
Alester and Portia stared at the empty center of the chamber, their hearts thudding against their chests.
Tears welled up in Portia’s eyes as she whispered, "W-where is Ali?"
Jade, who was near the entrance, groaned in pain from being thrown to the ground for the second time. Sitting up slowly, she replied weakly, "I saw her... running outside."
An uneasy silence fell over the chamber.
Alec and Nina, who were on the far side of the room, looked from the basin back to the empty center before Alec asked in shock, "So... does anyone know what the hell just happened?"
Everyone’s gaze remained fixed on the centre of the chamber, but no one spoke.
No one had the answers, but no one could deny that they had all witnessed something truly extraordinary.