Ari

Chapter 115: Light into the Abyss

It didn't last long as the pain turned to numbness and soon disappeared as my eyes regained sight and saw a horrifying view.

"W-Why..," I stammered in disbelief.

She whispered and smiled miserably with her glimmering ash-gray eyes as her face turned pale in pain, "Te amo, soror carissima. [I love you, my dearest sister.]"

She heaved blood, then faltered and fell to the ground.

Ayla switched with me.

I felt my heart stop for a moment and throbbed like it was stabbed by a million needles.

I couldn't utter a word and my mind went blank.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"NO!!!" Sephtis howled as he pulled out his hand from Ayla's back.

He turned back to his passive form and held his daughter's body in his arms.

Weeping in regret and disbelief.

"How... does it... feel... to take... the life... of your own... flesh... and blood... Father..," she grinned as she took her final breath with her final words.

I rushed towards her and took her from Sephtis' hands trying to heal her, but I could no longer heal her. She's no longer breathing and her body started to slowly vanish.

Sephtis kept howling in agony and I started to weep.

"It's not true..," I mumbled in horror as I looked blankly in disbelief.

My tears kept streaming down and my sight became cloudy as her power forcefully entered my body and merged with mine, breaking the seal on the power of the moon within me.

"NO!!! I... I don't want this... Ayla! T-Take it back! P-please... Take it back!" I blubbered as I crouched in agony and trembled in disbelief.

"AYLA!!!" I cried out desperately despite knowing she would no longer hear my call as I felt the burning insignia of the sun rising to my forehead and merged with the insignia of the moon.

Ayla's core slowly vanished with the Stone of Oath she gave me that enabled her to switch places with me.

Her soul shattered to pieces as it floated and vanished into the air.

I felt the burning sensation of my body once more just like the day I first fought Sephtis.

My flesh was burning like hell with the numbing pain on my chest full of grief with the loss of my dearest sister and the weight of fright of losing my father.

I felt my world grumbling under my feet as I whispered, "I don't want this..."

I may have forgotten my sister for a long time. Our bond never faded, it was the reason why I was obsessed with my mortal sister named Lindie. They had similar physiques though they have different demeanor and eyes.

My obsession has been just a longing for someone dear to me that I had forgotten.

A longing that will now be tattooed in me forever as our powers merged upon her death.

Her smile and grin faded in a blink of an eye.

I felt the agony of losing half of my existence despite gaining more power.

"I don't want this! AYLA!!!" I stood up and screamed as I briefly blackout from the shock.

"Be awake, child of true light. Bring forth light into the Abyss. I grant thee the highest authority. Strip off the prestige of the god of demise," a voice in my head ordered.

"I shall obey," I instinctively answered as I opened my blazing eyes.

My body started to burn with a golden flame while the crest on my chest glistened with blue light as it rapidly relieved me from the pain of burns and wounds, extinguishing the fire on my body the next second.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT!!! She should have been the one gaining the power! Not you!" Sephtis snapped as he slowly stood up.

"Right. It's my fault," I answered, staring at him blankly feeling empty and tired.

"YOU SHOULD DIE!!!" he grumbled.

"I wish I could..," I whispered as my tears streamed down because of the pain in my heart.

"DIE WITH THIS WORLD!!!" he howled as he snapped and transformed to his aggressive form and ran towards me on all fours despite his injuries.

"I can't unless you do." I asserted, as I transformed to my passive – aggressive form and flew up in the speed of light.

He spread his wings and flew from behind as he cast his spell, "Curse of the Abyss, adhere thy god. Fill her hearts with horror and demise from thy wickedness."

"Shadows, be gone," I ordered as I hovered over the Abyssal Lake pushing down the approaching shadows with my light.

He threw a spear while I was suppressing the shadows of the Abyss, so I raised my right hand to cast a stronger shield, but it shattered before my eyes.

I dodged the spear by turning my head on the side, causing me to lose my balance and saw Sephtis coming from above. I swirled around and attacked the shadows on the Lake to revert my direction with the impact of the power I released.

The shadows faltered and Sephtis missed.

"Curse of the Abyss, abide thy god. Bring forth demise and horror," he casted once again, as he lifted his hands in the air, but I already restrained and sealed the shadows beneath the lake while returning their glimmering light with my power.

He looked petrified as he saw the shadows on the lake had already reverted back to its true form as they glimmered and roamed freely like before.

"Gau, the darkness of Nirvana. Yield before the light and repent for thy sins," I grumbled as I restrained him with the chains of light.

"How dare you order the god of death!" he growled, trying to break free.

"By the order of the greatest authority. You are to be stripped from your prestige as the god of death. You are no longer the ruler of the Abyss," I asserted, raising my hand to him and burning his insignia of death.

"NO!!!" he howled in pain from the burning insignia while trying to break the chains in panic.

"Constrict!" I roared, casting another set of chains, tightening and gagging his mouth with it.

My gaze turned to the location from where Ayla vanished as I looked on the ground.

My heart hurts.

I felt angry, but whom shall I blame?

It's too late.

She's gone.

She vanished before my sight.

I felt guilty for surviving.

I felt empty and lonely altogether as I drew my bow and poured all my power on my arrow.

"Let's die together. Shall we?" I suggested as I smiled miserably, remembering my sister's grin.

A burning tear of grief slid down to my face as I released the arrow and aimed at his blackened core.

He howled in pain as the arrow pierced through his chest, shattering his core into pieces.

My wings slowly faded as I slowly turned back to my passive form.

I silently watched his body burn in flames before vanishing in the air as I closed my eyes.

As I thought—I didn't feel relieved from the agony.

I felt my life fading slowly as my heart suffered from the torment of guilt and regret. My wings disappeared as I fell down from such height.