Chapter 274 - Is it really you?
In the Eternal River Sect, chaos had taken over.
Disciples and elders ran in all directions as a column of light broke through the roof of the sect leader's palace, vaporizing tiles and pillars before piercing the clouds above.
No one dared approach. Not even the most powerful elders, who were now flying in the opposite direction.
In the center of this palace, a woman was on her knees, her beautiful blue eyes burning with pain.
She raised a hand to her face, observing the pale disfigured skin for a brief moment before bringing it to her chest, feeling her heart.
"Just a few more years... Is that too much to ask?" She looked up at the black, thunderous sky, her sweet, symphonic voice discordant with her body's current appearance.
She had failed in her goal. She wanted to stay, she wanted to fight more, she wanted to search more. But her time was up.
Being there was against the will of heaven, she knew that, she had always known that.
Even if it was only a part of her soul, that part was something whose existence the primordial laws of that world would never accept.
The fact that she had lasted this long was a miracle.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes, waiting patiently.
Suddenly, a roar woke her up, one she knew all too well.
Her trembling body stood up, her eyes wide as she watched something on the horizon.
Scales as black as night, deep purple eyes and a powerful body that stretched more than forty meters, its large wings tearing through the air at an absurd speed.
The dragon descended with a crash that cracked the ground, its claws opening deep grooves in the stone floor as it advanced towards the throne room.
"Khaedryss..." She whispered.
The light that devoured her body dimmed momentarily as her gaze fell on the couple riding on the beast's back.
One was a man she knew, one of the most talented young men to have set foot in that sect in generations.
But it wasn't this man who caught her eye, not compared to the woman next to him: purple hair cascading down her back, the same color as her gentle eyes now filled with tears.
Elize slid off Qingyi's lap and jumped to the ground, taking a hesitant step towards that figure.
It was strange. That face didn't exist anywhere in her memory. And yet she knew, deep down in her heart, that this woman was someone important to her.
"Little Elize... is that you?" The woman's voice trembled.
She stepped out of the center of the pillar of light for a brief moment. Immediately, the decay of her body accelerated, glowing cracks spreading across her skin.
She raised her trembling hands, trying to reach Elize's face, but her fingers never got there.
"Big sister..." The word finally escaped Elize's throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she threw herself into the woman's arms.
"Is it really you? Sniff..." The words came out between sobs.
"Yes, little sister..." The woman ran her hands through Elize's hair, stroking it tenderly. "Look how much you've grown... Mom would be so proud, if only..."
She closed her eyes, remembering painful things.
***
In a secluded valley, stone roads snaked up to a monumental city, surrounded by walls of reinforced concrete and solid steel.
Tall towers with spiral roofs were guarded by sentries clad in hardened steel armor, only their eyes visible through the slits in their helmets.
In the center, or more precisely, above the city, stood an imposing castle, resting on a floating mountain attached to the ground by colossal chains.
Each link of this chain weighed tons, and each chain was anchored to one of the four corners of the city.
The castle was built of dark gray stone, a fortress capable of sheltering thousands.
The mountain on which it stood had its own forests and valleys, with a massive waterfall plummeting towards the ground, forming a river that cut through the city from side to side.
In one of these forests, a middle-aged man was resting by a stream. Long black hair framed a dignified middle-aged face, with pointed ears and curved red horns emerging from his skull.
His red eyes watched the running water as he wiped his muscular body with a towel.
"Seraphine..." He called out without turning his head, calmly covering himself.
Above him, a large dragon with red scales marked by horrible scars descended. Where there should have been a right eye, there was only a flaming void, the remaining eye focused on a figure approaching from the trail behind.
It was a tall woman, dressed elegantly. A dress the color of her eyes and decorated with black, purple and white roses hugged her curvy body.
A side slit revealed thick thighs and the accentuated curve of her voluptuous, rounded ass, covered by a black bodystocking that also appeared at the wide cleavage of her large, firm breasts, hiding the creamy skin underneath.
They were small compared to boobs like Elize's, but still big enough to more than fill the hands of a man like Qingyi.
Her delicate, rosy shoulders were exposed, thin strips of fabric snaking elegantly down her slender arms and legs.
Deep purple eyes matched her long hair of the same color, while black horns and pointed ears adorned her pale-skinned, porcelain-perfect face.
That woman was Seraphine Vaeldrinn, one of the most beautiful and talented young women in her generation.
The man only gave her a quick glance before turning to the dragon, patting the scales on the creature's snout affectionately.
"What does my dear daughter want with me at this hour?" His voice came out calm and unconcerned, a casual smile occupying his face.
"You know exactly why I'm here, Dad." Seraphine growled low. "Where's Mom? And little Elize? What have you done with them?"
He paused, closed his eyes and considered his next words before answering.
"I did what was necessary." The smile disappeared from his face as he turned to face her directly.
"You know that as well as I do. She is the child of that prophecy. The cursed child. Born with a body different from ours, without a mana heart, without our bloodline. I saved our family."