Ch. 561..570

Chapter 561 - Shock

It was as if the world came crashing into halt. Evie's eyes were wide as saucers, her breathing had stopped for a few breaths. Why? Was this even real? What… what was she seeing? Why? Why was she there? The woman… it was she herself! How?! How did this happen? What was going on? She could feel her head starting to throb from the excessive shock of seeing that overly familiar face – her very own!

Evie did not even know how to react. She just stayed there, as still as if spell bound, only able to look on mutely. The trauma from that scene was just too much for her to accept right at that moment.

But when the dark dragon shrieked again and it felt as though it had passed right above her, Evie was jolted back from her stupor from the shock. Her mind began working again, and she was able to breathe again. What in the blue blazes is happening here? She needed to find answers. And quickly!

Confusion gripped her entire being now. She was still unable to understand why she was seeing herself here when this was supposed to be the past! And not just a recent past – a past that was really a long time ago! Could it be that the Light Queen was just someone who look like her?! But… could it be that it was so coincidental? Was there even such a thing?!

The thought made Evie swallow. She really needed to know what was going on!

She then fixed her eyes at the woman who looked exactly like her, and she felt her body moving closer to where the Light Queen was involuntarily. Evie's heartbeat was racing so hard as she got closer to her. 'Right, this woman might be my doppelganger.' She kept telling herself.

The closer she approached the Light Queen, the harder she tried to spot any crucial differences on her person… there should be at least one tiny aspect that could prove that this woman was her doppelganger who lived once upon a time, long, long ago.

But even when Evie had reached right beside the Light Queen and was standing right before her and looked straight into her eyes, her entire world was again rocked upside down. It was as though her very foundation was being overturned and she started to feel light-headed.

Those eyes… everything about her… down to the minutest of details… her heart and mind confirmed within herself that this woman was none other than her! H-how could that be?! What… is the meaning of this?

It was not only the questions and confusions that was rocking Evie's entire being now. She could feel it… she could even see right into those clouded and glistening amber eyes… that she had been in so much pain… in such extreme agony… that Evie's heart broke apart just by looking at her expressions. Even with the many trials and sadness she had been through before, Evie could see that all that she had experienced up till now was nothing in comparison to what this woman before her had gone through. What had actually happened? What had transpired for her to end up looking so tormented like this?

The first thing that appeared in Evie's mind was Gav. She jerked her head away and quickly looked around. If this woman was her then… Gav… where was he? There should be another person who should resemble Gav beside her, should it not?

Her heartbeat raced even faster as she finally spied a somewhat familiar silhouette. There was a tall man standing not too far away from the Light Queen, but it did not seem to be Gav! Though this man did have the characteristic blue eyes… it was a dark fae she has never seen before. Could it be that this woman might not be her after all?

Just as that thought crossed through Evie's mind, the woman spoke.

"Onyx!" she called out, causing Evie to jerk in response and widen her eyes before stilling again due to utter shock.

The large black dragon she had seen a little while ago was now landing majestically on the ground and the woman moved forward and approached it quickly.

"Good job…" she whispered and then kissed the dragon's snout. That… that was exactly the same gesture she always does to Onyx! And the similarity of it sent tingles across her scalp.

Evie's lips trembled. The way the Light Queen looked at the dragon… her every gesture… it was all so her… she could not even tell the difference in the way she treated Onyx and the way this Light Queen treated her dragon. It was just too similar!

"Where is Gav?" Evie did not realize that she had moved to ask the Light Queen. But the Light Queen acted as though she did not even hear nor saw Evie at all. Of course, she would not see nor hear you!

Feeling slightly panicky now, Evie looked around again and the woman in a red cloak who had been mounted on a horse removed her hood too. V-vera?! What?!!

Once again, Evie quickly ran towards her, trying to see if the woman was truly Vera. It was her… no doubt about it. She looked a bit more mature and powerful now… but there was also a coldness and frozen pain in her eyes that is absent in the Vera she knew in her own time. Evie saw the tattoo on her neck and hand. Those were the very same tattoos she had gotten from her mating ritual with Gideon!

Evie felt the dread growing and pulsating within her chest. Could it be that… she is actually seeing the future and not the past? This cannot be… no… please… this cannot be…

She frantically looked around again and it was then that she spotted Kariza and Reed. Evie was about to sigh in relief when she noticed that Kariza was… she was wielding Zanya's sword and Reed… he was the one bearing Samuel's crest now, he had also grown a lot and had become quite ripped. There was no longer the shadow of the young warrior he once was.

Her heart began to tremble as she tried to look for the others as well. Gav… Zanya… Queen Beatrice… King Belial… the rest of her vampire men… Gideon… she could not seem to find them anywhere. Where were they?!

"Gav… where are you?" Evie muttered desperately as she continued searching.. "Please show yourself. I need to know if you're here too!"

 

Chapter 562 - Promise Me

The feeling of dread was getting so strong and threatening to overwhelm Evie so much that it felt as if it was going to consume her whole. No! They were probably in a different place and fighting off enemies! I will go look for them! She told herself stubbornly.

But before she could move away from the front line, Evie heard her own voice again.

"My people… my warriors…" the Light Queen's voice echoed out and Evie turned to look at herself now standing so majestically on the head of the large dark dragon. Her silver hair was longer and a darker platinum now, her aura and power so impossibly strong. The dragon she was riding was oozing with darkness, the same darkness that had been reeking out of Gav when his eyes were blue.

The sight gave her gooseflesh all over skin. It was like seeing the light and darkness coming together in one frame.

"Hear me…" the Light Queen continued, and Evie felt her tears falling from her eyes. This was her voice but… this voice had so much weight and power now… to describe it as 'so much' was even an understatement!

"We are going to end this darkness and reclaim our lands… we will fight and destroy our enemies! We will fight with everything that we have and win this war today! We will not squander the lives of our loved ones who had passed on earlier to bring us to this fated day!" the Light Queen rallied the army before her, and Evie felt as though she was about to break down the moment she had heard the line 'our loved ones who had passed on'.

"This battle… this will be the very last one! And we will win this!" her voice boomed, as it carried over those who were listening to her. Her light was spreading out like she was becoming the sun itself. "The light will prevail!!!"

A roar echoed out next. A roar so loud, so full of unyielding fighting spirit that it was literally rocking and breaking Evie's heart and her entire soul. The entire scene was a grievous and heartrending one.

When the mind-blowing roar died down, the Light Queen, spoke again. "Today! This darkness will end!" she declared as if it was a fact that was set in stone. A smile of triumph was already plastered all over her face. And the army roared again, clamouring in agreement to the words of their leader.

At that moment, the dragon turned its back from the army.

That was when Evie finally looked ahead to where the army was facing, and it was then that she saw what looked like a wall of darkness ahead. This place… this place was not the Middle Land… now that Evie realized, the landscape… she had seen this place before. This vast plain could only be seen in the southernmost part of southern empire. This was close to the sea. She knew about this because she had been here before when they visited Mysteria, the city at the edge of Lirea, the city by the sea. This means… this darkness had already reached all the way up till here? It had already swallowed almost the entire land?!

Evie's throat hurt so much as she tried to hold back her tears. She watched 'herself' took the bow from behind her and held it in her hand. Then she lifted it and the army roared again as they began to run and fly towards the darkness ahead. The earth shook like an earthquake had occurred.

Then the dragons came as well and flew above the army. They too were roaring and screeching their battle cries as they flew forward in an attack formation. And now that Evie had fixed her eyes on the other dragons, she realised that she recognized two of them. Crimson and Silver were among those dragons and… on the back of largest of the bluish coloured dragon, Evie saw Vera riding on it.

'Vera…' Evie muttered to herself, as she saw her led the dozens of bluish dragons ahead.

Evie wiped her tears carelessly with the backs of her hands and looked at 'herself' again. She was still standing there as the army marched past her. Evie approached her and climbed onto the back of Onyx as well when suddenly the dragon lifted off from the ground and speedily flew off as well. However, instead of going forwards in the same direction as the united army, the dragon turned back and headed the other way.

It moved so fast and suddenly that it immediately overtook the entire army within a few heartbeats. What was she even thinking? Where is she going? As Evie asked herself those questions, she saw the ocean far ahead. She was right. The city of Mysteria lies ahead of them.

After flying over a wide empty space, Evie saw another army up ahead. It was a smaller contingent but still it consisted of at least a couple of thousands of soldiers. And it was behind this army where the Great City of Mysteria lay.

The dragon then spiralled down and landed mightily at the army's frontlines.

Evie watched 'herself' immediately jump down and hastily run ahead as if to meet someone for the very last time. Who? Gav? But… why would Gav be staying back here while she was at the frontline?

Evie's heart thundered again as she ran along with 'herself' and what she saw before her made her halt. A boy… a teenage boy… he is… he looked like… a mini version of Gav… only that he had peculiar eyes, one blue and one red.

"Mother!!!" he cried out as he lunged forward and hugged her around the waist.

"My son!" she whispered back, holding the teenage boy in her own tight grip. "Listen, take care of your sister, okay?"

"Mom… you're going to come back… right?" when the boy's eyes began to tear up, they turned amber.. "Promise me that you're going to come back to us. Please!"

 

Chapter 563 - Young Prince

So sorry for the lateness. I just found out from other readers that they saw Spellbound on timesquare billboard today so i'm freaking out while writing! It means spellbound won gold for the 2021 Spirity awards spellbounders!!! Thank you so much guys! This award is also for ya'll!! If anyone's from NYC, please take a photo for me. You can send it to me through my social media. ??

"Promise me that you're going to come back to us. Please!" the boy's amber eyes were gleaming with unshed tears as he begged his mother, not showing at all the shame of having tears streaming down his cheeks even though he was in that prideful stage of a teenager.

And this scene Evie was watching warmed and shattered her heart at the same time. This boy… is this the boy that is still inside her womb right now? Evie's heart somehow knew and whispered to herself that yes, this was her child. She could not take her eyes off of him and a sudden urge to embrace him bloomed within her. She wanted to hug him as tight as she could.

"I promise." Evie heard 'herself' replied to the boy. "I will defeat our enemies and come back victorious to you both."

Evie could clearly hear the pain dripping from her voice, but her eyes were still gleaming with so much strength. This is the kind of strength Evie in her current state could not even fathom.

"I believe in you, mother," the boy smiled and looked up proudly at his mother. "You are the Queen of Light. The most powerful in this whole world. You will come back honoured and victorious!"

Those words the boy said was filled with nothing but absolute faith. There was not even a tiny speck of doubt in his voice. He had said those words as if they were already a fact. The way he looked at her with so much admiration and unwavering belief made Evie's tears fall again as she continued watching helplessly.

She hugged her son again very tightly and whispered. "Thank you, my beloved son. This queen… your mother will be victorious. I promise you that."

And they pulled away from each other, knowing that they could not delay the time any longer. She needed to leave and end this war.

"I will take good care of Eve and the entire city so please don't worry about her and focus only on your enemy, mother." The boy said with a confident smile. And Evie immediately noticed how his smile was an exact copy of Gav's as well.

"That's my son." The Light Queen stated proudly and then she kissed the boy's forehead and in the next instant, she turned and jumped on the back of her dragon. Her movements were firm and decisive, no longer having the soft edges of a motherly aura. It was only clear authority and dominion that reeked from her posture.

The dragon which was oozing with darkness catapulted towards the sky upon her silent orders and Evie watched 'herself' flew away with her dragon at an impossible speed. She did not look back, not even once until she disappeared. But Evie caught sight of something before the Light Queen disappeared… she saw a single silvery tear that fell from her eyes as soon as she turned her back from her son. The sight of that single tear broke Evie's heart so bad that she thought her heart was damaged.

Evie then turned to look at the boy again. She wanted to know his name. When she heard the boy mentioned 'Eve', it pulled on her heartstrings. That name… she had already thought of that name since she was in Dacria with Gav. She had entertained the thought that if her child would be a girl, her name would be Eve. If it was going to be a boy, she would then let Gav name him. Though she had never spoke to Gav about this before, she had long decided on the name of her future female child.

Suddenly, the boy who was still looking up the sky clenched her fists so tightly. Strong and dark magic oozed from his body – and it was the same exact way Gav's darkness enveloped his body when angered. Only that, his other eye was blazing red while the other was blue.

"Your Highness, we need to return to your post." A voice that seemed to belong to another teenage boy echoed out behind him. When Evie looked at the source of the voice, she saw a boy, and at one glance, Evie could already tell whose son he was. Purple eyes, pointy ears and straight and silvery white hair… Zanya and Leon's faces immediately came to Evie's mind at the sight of him.

A kind of cute dragon's shriek echoed next, and Evie saw a hatchling, just a little bigger than an adult male's palm was flying towards them. Evie's eyes widened as the small dark dragon with amber eyes landed perfectly on the young prince's shoulder.

But the boy continued clenching and unclenching his fists as he gritted his teeth. This anger he was exuding was so much like Gav's when his eyes were blue and angry.

"I promised father… I promised him before he…" he paused and swallowed hard before he continued speaking through his gritted teeth. Then he let out a heavy sigh and shut his eyes while reaching out to pet the hatchling on his shoulder. "I promised him that I will protect mom… I wanted to go and fight alongside her and protect her, Leo. But I know I'm not strong enough right now… I will only cause her more distractions if I go… and I hate that! I hate that we're so young Leo, I wished we're old enough, strong enough right now to…"

The purple eyed boy named Leo approached him and gave a couple of firm thumps on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Your Highness. I truly do. But as you said, you being there would only serve to distract the Queen. You know how much she worries about you and the princess. However, the Light Queen gave you such a big responsibility right now as well and it's to protect the princess and this city. You are strong enough to do at least that right now. So please lift your head up with pride, My Prince. You are already fighting alongside our queen right now.. Just in a slightly different way, that's all."

 

Chapter 564 - Eve

A small smile then plastered itself on the prince's face and his darkness slowly receded. "Have I told you this before, Leo? You're a good advisor. You always know what to say and always at the right time and the right place."

The purple eyed boy rubbed the back of his neck at the generous compliment. "Well, I don't remember anything much about mother, but Her Majesty the Light Queen had told me before that I sounded very much like my mother. She told me that my mother, Zanya, was her right hand person and an important advisor. So I guess I'd believe in your compliments, My Prince. Now let's head back. It's about time."

The young prince sighed and the next second, his expression became calm the moment his eyes turned amber. He looked so calm and collected that it was as though he had not been in such an emotional mess just a little while ago.

"Oh… by the way Your Highness, reporting! The messenger I had sent to check in on Princess Eve had just returned." Leo reported as the two walked back towards where the army had camped out.

"How's she?"

"They said she's practicing shooting arrows and is not stopping."

The young prince halted. "When did she start practicing?" and his brows furrowed into deep lines.

"Ever since we set out. Most probably since the moment Her Majesty had told her to stay in the castle."

"So since last night, huh? No wonder I had sniffed out blood from her this morning. Her hand must have already been sore and bleeding as she tried to conceal it."

Leo creased his brows with worry. "Then right now! Y-your Highness, why don't you go check on her for a bit? You're the only one she'd listen to. She still can't use magic and the more concerning thing is that she can't even be healed by magic! I am worried if she might end up pushing herself too much and hurt herself really bad!"

"I think I'm taking back what I said a while ago that you're a good advisor, Leo. You always lose your cool when you're worried about my sister. Do you like my sister?" the young prince raised his brows at Leo.

"Huh? W-what are you saying?" Leo stammered out and there were two bright red spots dusting the high contours of his cheeks.

"You know that I can't leave my post even for a moment. Any time now a group of monsters could appear and attack us." The young prince replied seriously. "Eve is very stubborn. She'll practice again once I'm not looking. She is adamant on wanting her magic to awaken now. And I can't say that I blame her frustrations. I'd probably go crazy if I were the one in her position right now."

The purple eyed boy did not speak anymore as they finally reached their post.

Evie's heart warmed a little despite all the pain and agony she felt as she listened to the boys talking. When she swept her eyes over the large army this young prince was leading, she felt goosebumps prickling her skin. To think that a boy this young, already having this amount of responsibility being placed on his shoulders.

She looked at him again as he stood right at the front and centre like a majestic young king. Oh, this boy… pride bloomed within Evie's aching heart as her eyes trailed over him.

Her eyes fell to the city far behind them. She wanted to see Eve.

But she still needed to go to the battlefield. She needed to see more of what was in there, in that darkness.

For the last time, Evie swept her gaze over the army, trying to see if there were any strong men who were accompanying the young prince. She felt the generals with him were very strong, even the humans looked menacing. But she could not find many familiar faces anymore except for the dark fae elders she had just seen guarding over the forbidden library in the Great City and a few female light faes.

Evie moved to the young prince and hugged him even though there was no way she could touch him. She knew in her heart that this boy was her son. She could not even make herself doubt it. All the hints and facts were obviously pointing to only one conclusion… and that this was the future – not the past!

Her tears fell as she pulled away from the boy then she flew away, still looking at him until she reached the great dark wall that seemed to swallow both the sky and ground.

She could not see anyone any longer. Everyone was already inside the dark wall.

Evie landed on the ground and halted before it. Her heart was beating so wild inside her ribcage. Whatever was inside this darkness, she was determined to go in and find out about it. She also wanted to confirm one thing… if… if Gav was truly…

Her heart was breaking into a million pieces even at the thought that he was truly gone. But no matter how painful the things that she might witness beyond this wall, she vowed that she would watch it all, even if it would cause her heart to bleed. Because if this… if this was truly the future… and if… her Gav… and all her beloved friends and family were really gone… she swore to herself… that she would not allow this future to happen to her own timeline. She would do anything… everything… to change this future… to avoid it from happening!

If this was truly the future, then this was not the end yet! She realized the fact that this future was being revealed to her was already a miracle in itself! She never watched memories like these in her dreams. In her dreams she only gets to catch brief flashes of what was going to happen. Her dream always comes true no matter how she had tried to alter it. But this time… this was not a dream. The bow had showed her these 'memories' and to her, this only meant one thing. That this future could still be changed and knowing that, was enough for her.

Clenching her fists tight, Evie's amber eyes that were filled with agony, pain and a sense of hopelessness a while ago had significantly changed now. Her eyes had gradually turned steely as she looked ahead and stepped resolutely into the darkness.

Chapter 565 - Scarlet Snow

Upon entering the wall of darkness, Evie began to see dead bodies. It was pitch black in there, but Evie could somehow still see clearly. She flew forward hastily as she could not see anyone who was still alive. It seemed as though the army was already far ahead of her.

Looking down, she saw that most of the dead bodies on the ground belonged to the monsters. She could not help but feel awed that there were little to almost no casualty on the side of the united army. Just how strong were they that even the humans – the weakest of all the races – could also stand their ground and fight against the monsters? From the lack of dead human bodies around her, it seemed to be pointing in that direction where even the humans could go against these monsters.

However, as she continued moving further into the darkness, she felt her heart becoming more and more restless. The monsters became bigger and bigger, and they looked even nastier.

She started seeing a few injured humans that were left behind as they could no longer go on with the rest of the army and a couple of light faes stayed behind with them. Evie was shocked to see that the light faes were healing them. What? How? Have they finally found a way to heal the humans now?! From what she knew, humans were impervious to the healing magics.

Evie was dying to investigate further into this as well, but she was afraid that she would run out of time. She was not sure how long these memories would last. So she could only ignore these other matters and move forward as fast as she could. She needed to find 'herself' and… Gav… and the others too!

Without stopping, Evie tried her best to keep on going even at the sight of the struggling, dying, and fighting soldiers. She did not dare to stop this time anymore and just continued pressing on, looking all around to find traces of the people that she was seeking for. Until she reached where the real battle was happening.

It was incredible how far the united army had already gone ahead and how many of their enemies they had already killed. Evie found herself awestruck at the thought of it and was at a loss for words.

But now that she had finally caught up with them, she could hardly believe what her eyes seemed to be seeing. The battle… it was something that she had never ever seen before… something that she could never even begin to imagine.

Dragons were flying and hovering around in the sky, as far as the eye could see and were incinerating the enemies with their fiery breaths. Whoever the fire missed would then be killed by the warriors who were dominating the ground level. One strike from a human soldier was enough to bring a monster down. No, some humans even managed to kill two or more, just with a single strike of their weapon. How? How did they all become so strong? What was the secret behind this miracle that she was witnessing?

The other races were even stronger than ever. All of them… they were all fighting like madmen, holding nothing back as they swung and thrusted their weapons around, every move bringing forth blood or welcoming death to their enemies.

Evie swallowed hard as she walked past them. It was so hard to watch. Though it was encouraging to see how the united armies were going on strong and giving their all in this fight, she still felt like breaking down every single time she sees an ally being teared apart mercilessly by the enemy. The heavily sweet and coppery scent of blood… the shrill and wailing screams… the crashing sound of weapons and brittle crunch of bones breaking… just the weighty scent of death that filled the air and was already enveloped with darkness, it all burned itself into Evie's mind and caused her heart to contract painfully.

Some monsters were so much bigger they could already be categorised as giants. She saw a few of those giants simultaneously propelling themselves from the ground and taking down one of the bluish dragons that was flying above. They came crashing to the ground in a tangled heap, causing the ground to shake as though the whole area would collapse into the earth itself.

That was when Evie saw that dragon Vera had been riding. As the giant monsters cruelly tore the smaller dragon they had caught apart, Vera's dragon breathed what seemed to be a blue flame over the giants.

Evie's eyes widened at the sight that she witnessed following that. The giants, including the smaller dead dragon, were then enveloped within a casing of ice rather than being incinerated into flames as she would have expected. And that was not the end of it yet, as Evie saw Vera stretch her hand towards the ice below and the moment she clenched her hand into a fist, the ice including everything within it imploded and burst out into tiny little sparkly crystals and came scattering down as a blanket of scarlet snow.

After that, Vera left again with her dragon as though nothing had happened at all. The coldness in her pale blue eyes sent shivers stabbing through Evie's heart.

She quickly followed after Vera as her dragon went further into the darkness again.

The battle continued raging down below, so fiercely as Vera continued destroying the giants without even batting an eye. All the while, Evie also did not forget to look around, trying to seek out Gav, and the others to see if they were in this battlefield. She was also looking for 'herself' as she had yet to see her.

'Where is she?' Evie asked when she saw a bright light that flashed up ahead. Her heart jolted at the same time Vera ordered her dragon to head forward. Was that light a signal?

Evie saw that all of the dragons had already left the battlefield. Each of them now has a rider on their backs as they all moved towards the light ahead at full speed, ignoring everything else below them.

Down below, the soldiers began to push forwards as well, as if they too had just gotten the same signal.

Holding her breath, Evie realized that this was now an all-out attack from both the ground and the sky. She forced herself to observe everything carefully and closely, committing every single one of their formations and movements to memory … what were they planning to do?

Chapter 566 - Abyss

The dragons seemed to have entered through another wall and suddenly, the darkness that was already pitch black had grown thicker now. Was there another layer?

Suddenly, all the dragons halted in their steps and there, Evie saw 'herself' shining brilliantly like the sun as she stood on the head of her dragon, perfectly balanced and with no hints of slipping or falling. She was looking intently ahead. The vision of 'her' in her golden splendour majestically standing on her steed that was as black as ebony was truly awe-inspiring.

Evie's heartbeat sounded so loud in her own ears as she lifted her eyes towards the same direction as well and there, she saw something so unbelievable that her eyes almost popped out. How? How did this happen?

An Abyss was right before them already. Its large yawning cavity a menacing and dark void that seemed to even draw in every single iota of light from its surroundings. Evie immediately remembered the abyss that she had seen in her dream. This seemed to be the very same abyss that she saw – that Abyss of Darkness. However, in this memory, it had now grown too massive that if Evie's calculations were right, this Abyss of darkness had already swallowed all the other lands except for the Southern empire.

Quickly, Evie left Vera's side and moved towards 'herself' as fast as she could.

When she finally reached, Evie stood before her. Her eyes were closed, but not tightly scrunched up as she would have thought. Her face was so peaceful that her body was glowing with a kind of power that Evie could not quite fathom. At that moment, Evie had a feeling that this was no longer her anymore… there was no more hint of humanity left in her appearance… it was like she had turned into and become a real goddess, descended from the heavens itself.

Evie was paralyzed and overwhelmed at what she was seeing. She could not even react anymore. She just made sure to keep her eyes opened and watched everything very vigilantly. Until another light pulsated out from 'herself'.

"It's coming." Evie heard her whisper, still without opening her eyes. Coming? Who?

Abruptly, Evie whipped her head towards the front. Something was pulsating ahead in the darkness as if someone was coming closer. But Evie still could not see a thing but just feel the pulsating darkness. Down below, the monsters kept climbing out from the abyss.

She looked at 'herself' again and she saw her finally moving. In one swift and impossibly fast move, her hand was already lifted, her palm facing upwards to the sky.

An overwhelming power swirled around her figure and Evie saw the other dragons moved past 'herself' as if to create a barrier surrounding her.

Winged monsters reeking with strong dark magic began to come out from the darkness and the dragons and their riders circled 'herself'. The warriors below guarded the ground against the giants that were throwing themselves in that direction.

As another battle, fiercer than one could ever imagine ensued, Evie watched 'herself' stay ever so still in that position. Her eyes remained closed, her expression as tranquil as a dreamless sleep.

The dragons and warriors around her including Vera fought fiercely as though they would rather die than let anyone pass through their guard and reach the person they were protecting.

Evie was puzzled as to what was going on. What was she doing while all her people and comrades were fighting to their deaths?

But as Evie was questioning herself on that, a light came from the sky. Shocked, Evie looked up and she saw a light piercing through the darkness like an arrow from the sky. Her eyes widened as she returned her gaze to 'herself'.

"Come… oh, light… hear me… come to me…" she heard 'herself' call out. Her voice was light and feathery like a prayer. Her own light grew so strong as the descending light kept piercing through the darkness as if making its way to her hand.

"Come!" she called louder as the battle around her became fiercer.

Evie was not even breathing anymore as she saw the dragons fall from the overwhelming numbers of the enemy who appeared as soon as 'she' called for that light to come.

"COME!!!" 'she' screamed, and a strong beam of light appeared from 'her' palm, shooting upwards as if to meet the descending light halfway.

And the moment the lights collided, 'she' screamed again. "Ahhhh!!!"

A light so bright burst forth from 'her' body as the light from the sky seemed to have entered her palm.

The once pitch black space now looked as though the sun had suddenly appeared and all the warriors and the dragons roared out mightily despite the enemies now pouring out in impossible numbers. Everyone was cheering out as if they were already victorious in this war even as they fell to their deaths.

When 'she' stopped screaming, Evie saw an arrow so bright and sharp being formed in her uplifted hand.

'She' opened her eyes and those amber orbs shone brighter than the sun.

"ONYX!!!" 'She' shouted out and Onyx finally moved.

The dragon breathed out fire as it passed over the enemies and as 'she' notched the arrow in her bow.

The other dragons that were still alive followed after 'her', protecting her as she rallied ahead. The monsters jumped right into Onyx's face and tore at his eyes, but the dragon did not stop. And as soon as Onyx reached what seemed to be the very last layer of the wall, the dragon then rammed his whole body against it with the full impact of his weight and speed combined. 'She' was the only one who managed to enter into what seemed like the very centre of the darkness.

'She' immediately pulled on her arrow and aimed it forward.

Evie looked ahead towards what 'she' was aiming at. Someone was standing there… a man… w-who?

Evie could not recognize the man's face as he was enveloped with pitch black smoke swirling around him. But Evie saw that his eyes… they were… a piercing blue…

Chapter 567 - Light And Darkness

Evie's mouth parted as her gaze were fixed on the man. Her pulse was suddenly hammering away so erratically within her chest, and her blood seemed to be rushing within her veins and she could feel her heart now aching harder than ever, since the moment she began seeing this future.

Denial hit her not only when she saw those flaming blue eyes but also in the instant when she felt that very familiar aura of darkness – so familiar that she could even identify it in her sleep. Evie could only shake her head as she kept her gaze on him while internally, she was trying to convince herself that her eyes might be deceiving her.

His face was hidden in his own darkness. The tempest of black smoke which was moving like dark snakes all around him was so incredibly strong. If 'she' was the goddess of light, then he would be the god of darkness.

As he moved closer, his darkness seemed to be pushing against the light that was coming out from 'her' without him even lifting a finger. The black fog that was surrounding him seemed to have its own consciousness and could be seen to be pushing the light back intentionally. Seeing that was giving Evie shivers that could not be suppressed.

Evie forced her gaze to look at 'herself' again. And her heart stopped when she noticed how 'her' eyes looked while aiming at him.

'Her' eyes… they were gleaming with so many emotions that Evie could not catch all of them. And the emotions were so strong that it was just so heart breaking to even look at 'her'. The extreme pain and tormented look in those amber eyes were now so vivid. So vivid and extreme that Evie's entire being began to tremble and her eyes automatically teared up and she wept… as if she was trembling and weeping for 'her'. For this queen who could no longer even seem to allow herself the privilege to shed even a single drop of tear at this crucial moment.

Time ticked by and 'she' kept 'her' stance, as if waiting for something to happen… for a sign for 'her' to take action. 'Her' eyes never once blinked and kept her gaze locked as she looked at him through her bow.

Then abruptly, without any warning, 'she' released the arrow and Evie found herself screaming out after the fact. "No!!!"

Evie's head whipped towards him and saw that the bright arrow was stopped! He had used the darkness as his shield. She did not know whether to feel relieved or dismayed at how easy 'her' arrow was caught. On one hand, she was relieved that the arrow was not powerful enough to immediately pierce through the shield and hit the person that the arrow was intended for. However, on the other hand, she was dismayed and even felt a little disappointed thinking why 'her' arrow seemed not powerful enough.

However, as Evie continued observing, the arrow was unceasingly pushing forward, slowly but surely breaking through the thick and powerful barrier that shielded him behind it.

At that moment, it was like the very essence of light and darkness itself had come to a clash. And ultimately, one of the two would be destroyed. These two powers created such an inexplicable phenomenon that all of a sudden, everything behind the arrow became bright. The darkness that had initially swallowed up the land had disappeared, as though the sun had suddenly risen in a flash and is now at its zenith position in the sky, blazing with all that it is worth.

Time seemed to come to a standstill.

The united army and the dragons who were now being completely overwhelmed by the endless numbers of monsters that kept pouring out of the abyss and were now dying, had dropped their weapons down and fallen to their knees in utter exhaustion as they looked up to their queen above them. The monsters were now starting to be incinerated by the power of the light from the sun, turning them into ashes, one after another.

Now it was as though the land had been divided into half. One half was like the day and the other half was draped by the night. And soon… everyone knew only one of the two would emerge victorious in the end. Either the light or the darkness.

The arrow of light continued pushing forward. The queen of Light's palms were now both facing forward, a powerful beam of light arising from her palms and pushing the arrow forward.

A loud battle cry arose from 'her' and her power suddenly surged and became stronger. The sun shone even brighter, and it was like she was drawing power from it.

When the darkness slightly pushed the arrow back, another cry arose from her, and her powers seemed to have erupted from within 'her'. The beam of light became larger and wider, and the arrow pushed forward even farther. Blood began to trickle from the sides of 'her' mouth, but her eyes continued to shine like the sun, bright and powerful.

Farther… and farther ahead … the arrow pierced through the darkness and as she cried out one last time, something seemed to break.

The barrier of darkness was finally pierced, and the darkness began to disperse.

But as the darkness was gradually swallowed by the light, 'she' placed her palm over her heart and flew forwards at an impossible speed.

He… his visage was now visible… the darkness enveloping him was now gone. But in the middle of his chest, was a black hole that seemed to be swirling with some dark magic.

As 'she' moved towards him as fast as an arrow, a bright light appeared over her chest. And in the next second, 'she' pulled a dagger out from it. A dagger made purely of light.

Tears fell from 'her' eyes as 'she' reached him and then... she plunged the dagger right into the dark circular thing on his chest.

He gasped out loud as blood flowed from his lips.. His eyes turned from the shocking blue into a combination of blue and grey and then he smiled as he looked at her. He lifted his hand and rested it below her ear and said, "I'm so sorry, my love…"

Chapter 568 - If Only

"I'm so sorry, my love…" he choked out and he kissed her lips softly. The two of them slowly descended to the ground. The darkness was completely gone now. Even the dark circle on his chest was fully gone as well – as though it was never there in the first place. However, what could be seen there was only a knife, glaringly jutting out from the middle of his chest, firmly embedded right through his heart.

As soon as they landed on the ground, his legs gave out and he collapsed immediately. 'She' caught him before he could crash into the ground and embraced him tightly in her arms, continuously shaking 'her' head as her dark silvery locks shook like waves down her back.

"This is not your fault, Gav…" 'she' cried, tears finally falling from her eyes now as she caressed his face lightly with her fingers.

"I love you," he uttered with much difficulty as blood kept spurting out of his mouth, his veins turning black now and his skin becoming ashen. "I love you, Evie. I will… I will always… always be watching over you… so please…" he struggled to speak as 'she' kept his hand on her face.

"So please… don't be too sad once I'm gone, Evie… our children… I…" the colours of his eyes turned into an ashy hue as well and his body finally became limp, "… love you…" was the last words that he breathed out as his eyes unwillingly fluttered close and he breathed his last.

"Gav!!!" 'she' screamed at the top of 'her' lungs. The shriek that left her lips tore through the hauntingly beautiful but silent and bright atmosphere around them, making it feel as though it was a clashing of moods. Such a brilliant and beautiful day was marred by the anguish and ushering of death.

The few who were left alive could not even shout out their victory, not only because of the piles of dead bodies of their fallen comrades surrounding them, but also because of their queen's agonizing cry. It was as though her heart had died within her as well.

'Her' scream made their hearts shiver in pain and none of them were able to even stand. They just remained where they were, kneeling on the ground, as they listened to their queen's wail. That was… that was the first time they had ever heard their almighty queen shedding tears and screaming outright in pain without holding anything back.

The sun started to set. The queen had long stopped screaming out his name now.

"I love you too…" 'she' whispered to him as she caressed his cheek lovingly. "And I am so sorry Gav… my love… I was late… too late… I couldn't save you…"

'Her' body continued trembling as 'she' embraced his body tighter to herself. "If only… if only I managed to find the arrow earlier… if only… I listened to you when you told me to leave the Under Lands that day… if only… but it is too late now for regrets and 'ifs'… I'm so sorry…"

"Mother!!!" The young prince's voice echoed behind 'her', and 'she' lifted 'her' face to look at 'her' approaching son.

…

Gavriel was sitting at the edge of Evie's bed as he watched her sleeping face intently, not wanting to miss out on any of her expressions that crossed her face. Gavrael had suddenly came to him and told him what had happened. He was being informed that Evie had passed out as soon as she touched the bow, and she was not waking up even when being called out to.

Even until now, she was still tightly holding onto the bow and would not relax her fingers to let it go. All of them concluded that she was probably still seeing the memories that the bow was showing her right now as she was unconscious.

Gavriel had been worried as her expressions were getting more and more troubled as time went by. She looked as though she was having a nightmare. A horrific nightmare that she could not get out of.

He had tried to wake her up because he could no longer take it seeing her like this. But no matter what they do, she would not be waken up. Zanya had said that perhaps Evie was refusing to release the bow herself when the light fae tried to use magic to reach out to her.

"Wife… that's enough… please wake up now." Gavriel said as he wiped her brow that had sweat beading upon it. He did not know how many times it had been that he had repeated those words already. And he was getting more worried about the effects of this obviously horrifying memories she was seeing. Would it affect her and the baby adversely?

"Evie… my love? Can you hear me?" he called her name again, "could it be that you want me to kiss you before you would be willing to open your eyes?"

But as he was about to bent down and kiss her, she suddenly sat up straight in bed, screaming out his name as she panted and looked left and right frantically, as though searching for something or someone desperately.

"Gav!!!" she shouted for him.

Gavriel panicked for a moment. The look on her face shook his heart terribly.

"Evie! I'm here! What happened?" he cupped her face in both his palms and made her look at him.

Evie's wide eyes focussed on him as if in disbelief for a moment. Then out of the blue, she hugged him so damned tight and burst out crying, big fat tears rolling heavily down her cheeks.

"Gav…" she wailed and her body shook like a leaf in the wind. The way she cried and trembled in his arms caused him to be worried sick.

"Yes, I'm here love… I'm here…" he did his very best to calm her down, caressing her back as gentle as he could while whispering reassurances that he was here with her. What kinds of horrors did she see in that memory to be behaving like this?

He gritted his teeth, thinking that he should not have allowed her to touch the bow after all. She was pregnant, and she should not be experiencing this kind of fear!

Gavriel took a long while to calm her down. Even when she saw the king and queen as well as Zanya, she cried even harder, making everyone worry even more and wondered what was it that she had seen.

So Gav could only send everyone away for the time being and spent more time coaxing her and calming her down. After a long while, she finally stopped crying. But still, she clung tightly to him and would not even let go of him.

"Gav…" she finally spoke. She curled up in his lap now while Gav was rocking her in a gentle soothing motion from left to right.

"Yes, love?" he purred, kissing her forehead.

She swallowed as she looked at him. "Listen… you need to… hear all of this…"

 

Chapter 569 - Feel Better

Fear and grief were still gripping Evie's entire being even after hours had passed since she had awakened from seeing the memories the bow had projected in her mind. The sight of Gav taking his last breath, watching him die… it nearly broke her completely – even though she was well aware that it was not happening in her timeline. But just the thought that it might come true was enough to send her mind reeling and throw her into a frenzy. If she did not see him right at the moment when she opened her eyes, Evie thought that she might have totally lost her mind. She was that distraught.

She had cried and cried as she held onto Gav as tight as she could, not getting enough of the feeling of how wonderful it was to have them physically touching each other. And she felt him gently coaxing her, patiently whispering endearments into her ears, and doing his very best to make her feel better. His voice, his warmth, his scent… everything about him filled her senses and slowly, the grief finally subsided.

He was still here, alive… her beloved was still here…

And that possible future was still many years ahead. There was still time for them, and she believed that she had been given the chance to see that vision for a good reason. It was shown to her so that she would be able to change it. And change it she would! She had sworn to herself determinedly when she returned from the vision, that she would do anything and everything to change it!

She would never ever let what she had seen happen in her future happen. Gav… she would save him… she MUST save him!

This man, she swore to herself again, will be right beside her when the war was finally over and when they ushered in the victory on their side. Anything other than that was completely unacceptable. She would not lose him… ever!

Looking up at him again as she reassured herself that he was truly here in the flesh and beside her, Evie rested her palms on both sides of his cheeks and stared into his grey eyes sombrely then to his perfect and gorgeous face. He looked calm and tranquil, but worry was gleaming in his eyes as he gazed back at her. She could see how much he was worrying for her as well. Her actions must have frightened him quite a bit.

"Feeling better now, my love?" he asked in a soft and tender voice, warming Evie's heart thoroughly, dispelling the last of the chill that was left from the fear she had felt from her vision. His hands moved and tucked her hair behind her ears fondly.

When she nodded, he sighed out softly in relief. "I think you still need a kiss to feel even… better…" he added with a little mischievous smile and before Evie could even react, his lips had already softly landed on hers. However, it was only a tender peck and not one that was passion filled. But it was filled with so much warmth that it felt like the heavy weight which was hanging on her shoulders was finally being lifted off. "Want more, my dear, sweet wife?"

His voice became a little husky as his eyes darkened a little. But still, he was being so tender right now. He is almost like a soft, sweet and gentle big furry bear. This man really knows how to make her feel so loved and comfortable in his arms. He knows just the right way on how to melt whatever negative emotions that were reigning inside her chest. And oh… how she loved him. She loved the way he became so tender and sweet as hell especially when she was at her worst. Though she also loved the way he teases her and when he turned wicked and mischievous, at this moment, she hundred percent preferred his tenderness.

"No?" he tilted his head slightly when she took a long while to answer. And suddenly, his face turned a bit sullen and dejected that Evie even found the way he blinked and looked at her that moment as just so precious. She recorded that image into her mind and filed it together with the other wonderful moments that she kept with him. The urge and the strong feelings of wanting to protect him at all costs strangely surged within her, despite knowing that he was definitely stronger than her right now.

Unable to resist the way he was looking at her, Evie kissed him. Of course, she wanted more… she always… always wanted more of him…

And she knows he knew it already, that she always wanted more from him. But he was really so well behaved right now. Most probably because she was a mess right now and all he wanted was to make her feel better.

Their kiss was slow and just skimming over the surface of their lips, but oh… did it feel so good, so refreshing and warm. Evie felt as though from here on, she was going to love this man even more if that was even possible. She was already so madly in love with him. But right now, she felt like she still wanted to love him even more… much more than ever before.

When their kiss ended, Gav leaned his forehead against hers, his warm breath puffing comfortingly against her face. "Much better now?" he asked.

"Yes. I love you." she replied candidly, and his lips curved up as his eyes crinkled in pleasure at hearing those words directed to him.

"I love you too, Evie." he kissed her forehead and Evie finally smiled as well, revelling from the feeling of his warm lips against her own satiny skin. Then he hugged her tight in his embrace and continued rocking her from side to side. That motion so comforting to both of them, and Evie was lulled into a half sleepy haze. He still did not ask any details about what she had seen from her vision even after a long while of silence.

She knew that it was because he did not want her to be troubled again and she understood that. But she finally decided to spill out everything now before she got overwhelmed by her emotions again. She must tell him everything so they could all work together to change the future, to ensure that that future she had seen would never be the reality in their current future. This was the very first step they needed to take and even though that future was still far ahead, Evie believed that they must start right at this instant and not waste any more time.

They must start work on this now while it was still early and when they still had the advantage of time. If they could do that, they will certainly be able to change that future. "Gav…" she reluctantly pulled away from his embrace and looked at him intently.

"Listen… you need to hear all of this..." Evie swallowed and then she took a deep breath to stay calm because Gav's expression already changed the moment her heartbeat hastened again. "This is very important and concerns every single one of us... our loved ones and friends and the entire Lirea.. I must not delay any longer to tell you about this. I… I saw the –"

 

Chapter 570 - That Man

"I must not delay any longer to tell you about this. I… I saw the –"

Evie's eyes widened. She closed her lips then opened again to talk but no matter how hard she tried, no words seem to be able to proceed from her mouth. She tried again and when there was still no sound coming out, Evie gasped out in horror and shock.

"Evie –" Gav narrowed his eyes and was worried at Evie's increasing panic.

"Oh god! I can't… oh my god, I can't say it Gav!" Evie's was breathing hard, and her eyes were wide with alarm.

"The things you saw… you can't say them out loud even if you wanted to?" Gavriel was frowning, worrying again because Evie's starting to panic once again just after she had calmed down not too long ago.

"Yes. I'm trying to say something, but my voice is just not coming out. My mouth… I can't say it, Gav –"

"Shh… don't panic, love. It's alright. We'll think through this. Breathe love…" he coaxed her again and Evie listened to him.

She shut her eyes and took in a long deep breath. What was going on? Could it be that she was not allowed to say anything about what she had seen?

Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Magic appeared at the tip of her forefinger when she pointed it to a space. She started to move her hand to write what she wanted to say but then again, after just writing one letter, her hand stopped, and she could no longer move it. She tried it again and again, but the results were always the same.

Her eyes were wide and filled with utter disbelief now. There was only one explanation to this, all the memories she had seen was only for her eyes only and that she was not allowed to share it with anyone. No, she could not even tell no matter how much she wanted to and no matter what she did.

"I can't… Gav… what should we do now?" fat drops of tears started to flow from her eyes again and Gavriel hugged her tight. She could not help it. She was truly too upset, too frustrated and too scared now. Why? Why could she not say it?

She sobbed hard just calling out his name.

"Evie… listen… Evie!" Gavriel held her shoulders firmly and squeezed on it a little. "Look at me, love. Look at me."

When Evie was forced to look at him, he held her face. "Don't cry, please. Even if you can't say any of the information you saw… right now, the most important thing is we have one person here who knew everything that had happened and that is you… we will find a way to understand the things you can't say, Evie. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Evie blinked and her sobbing slowly stopped.

"I don't need to hear everything to understand you, Evie. So please do not worry, I will try my best to help you with this." He said with reassurance. "Like right now… whatever you saw …" Gavriel's gaze became intent. "I know it has something to do with me. Am I right?"

Her eyes stretched a little as she brushed away her tears. "H-how…"

Gavriel smiled helplessly as he gently wiped her tears. "I told you, love. You don't need to tell me everything for me to understand. I can read you like a book as long as you don't try hard to mask your emotions from me. Because sometimes, you're such a good actor too especially when you're so quiet."

It was as if Gavriel's words were all that Evie needed to hear in order to make everything alright again. She eventually calmed down and stopped crying, causing Gavriel to sigh in relief. It truly has been a roller coaster of a ride with Evie's emotions after she awoke from her vision.

"I need to find… something… Gav." Evie uttered as she rested her head on his chest.

"Do you plan to look for the arrow?"

She pulled away instantly and looked at him in shock. How…?!

He smiled, "It's the bow that made you see whatever you saw so I guess it must be the arrow that you might be wanting now. And I am right." He did not even bother to state it in a question form, as if he was beyond certain about it.

Again, his words made Evie felt reassured and her worries and fears were now disappearing.

"I also want to find… people… a number of people." Evie said again. The dark faes she saw in her vision, especially the ones who were able to ride on her her dragons were dark faes she had never met before. Evie was also curious about that man. That dark fae who had stood next to her during that war. She had seen how powerful he was. She saw how he controlled Silver and the other dragons to clear the path for 'herself' to reach that inner most wall of darkness that enveloped Gav.

Evie just felt that finding and meeting these strong warriors could be the very first step that she needed to take. Because before she woke up, she had seen 'herself' saying thank you to that man and his warriors as they left after that war. Then she heard 'her' whisper as soon as he disappeared into a flurry of dark smoke, "I wished we knew back then that you weren't the real enemy. If only you became our ally sooner."

"Dark faes?" Gavriel brought Evie's focus back to reality.

"Yes. I want to meet all the strongest in the land." Her eyes shone with clear intent.

Gavriel leaned back, staring deeply at her. "Alright, love. We can ask the king to gather all the strongest dark faes so your search will be easier. Anything else?"

"What will you do if… if you know that a… a long, drawn-out war is coming?"