Chapter 75

Cirilla's Point Of View

For a second I felt a surge of excruciating pain starting from my chest right where the pointed edge of the phoenix blade pierced me, spreading through my bones, and it was as though my whole soul was being sucked into a funnel.

But just when I thought the pain was about to get worse, darkness covered my vision, dominating the light around me. And I felt absolutely nothing.

That was when I knew it without a doubt. I was dead.

At the speed of light, everything that happened within the last minutes of my life flashed before my eyes and the last image of Asher's teary and broken gaze filled with so much pain and sadness tore me completely apart and without realizing, tears pooled out of my eyes. The hurt in his eyes was heartbreaking.

I sobbed silently, and abruptly, the darkness that surrounded me began to fade into a blinding light that I had to shut my eyes.

By the time I pulled my eyes open, I found myself in the middle of the worst scene of my life, or rather my death.

My heart raced so fast that I took a step backward in disbelief. I was in that moment, witnessing the moment after my death.

I could see Asher. His shoulders hunched over my dead body as he wept. It was the most shattering sight. I glanced around and soon a crowd of people I knew. Friends I considered family. They all broke down in tears. I saw Theo's frozen body in shock, his eyes wide and his impenetrable gaze and attention on my dead body in Asher's arms.

I searched the crowd, and instantly my eyes landed on Mum.

“It's fine. Bring her… Take her back to the quarters. She can't… we'll find a way. There must be a way…” She took several steps towards where I was in Asher's arms, collapsing to the ground in tears. In a flash Dad was beside her, taking her in his arms, eyes filled with unshed tears. “There’s always a way, there has to be a way…”

Mum's words caused a fresh wave of tears from my eyes and I rushed closer to her.

“Mum, I'm right here. I'm here,” The words escaped in broken sobs. I was right in front of her, but she couldn't see me. They couldn't see me.

“Our baby can't be dead. This isn't supposed to happen,” She sobbed, and I sobbed harder.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you this much pain. I had no choice.

I collapsed on the bloody soil, tearing up. It broke me to see all of them like this. Watching their pain was worse than being dead.

In an instant, Mum was up and she zoomed off, and Dad rushed right after her.

My eyes found my brother once more, and he was still in his frozen state with a stream of tears rushing down his eyes. Behind him was Niko, the twins, Shirley, and Malia, and at a close distance were Eric, Enzo, and Kayla.

I shut my eyes in tears.

I brought my gaze back to my mate. His hold on me was tighter than ever, and streaks of yellow and red swirling in the green of his eyes. He was losing it. He was losing control.

I watched in despair as he released a loud growl that touched the sky and shook the earth and everyone in it.

I was lost in my pain and hellish torture when I felt pairs of eyes on me. My heart skipped a beat as I searched through the crowd and my gaze caught that of a woman in the middle of the crowd with a small sad smile on her face.

She was so unfamiliar, but she was staring right at me. She could see me.

I was up from the ground as she turned around and began to walk into the woods. I followed her trail instantly, rushing into the woods, and by the time I burst out from the woods, I saw her sitting on a small bench but our surroundings had changed. And it didn't seem like we were within the pack at all.

She turned to me, her flawless and unwavering smile still present as she patted the space on the bench.

I walked closer, taking a seat right next to her. Now that I was up close, I could see her beautiful features. She was a stunning figure. Long blonde hair that reached her waist. Round face. Flawlessly perfect skin and eyes…. eyes as blue as the deep ocean.

Something in her gaze tugged at my chest, sending an unexplainable emotion to my soul.

“Who are you?” I finally pulled my curiosity into words and her eyes sparkled and her smile ran deeper.

She stretched a hand to my face, stroking my cheek tenderly. “My sweet child,”

Her touch was warm and comforting so much that I found myself leaning into it.

I asked again. “Tell me who you are?” My eyes lowered to her wrist and I saw that same familiar symbol on Mum's wrist. Our ancestral rune.

My eyes snapped back to hers, and she nodded with her ever-perfect smile intact.

“I'm Petrova,” Her smile reached her eyes. “And believe me to say it's an honor to finally meet you wouldn't do justice to my emotions,” Her eyes glistened and my body stilled.

“Petrova Amnell?” I asked, remembering seeing the name in Mum's Grimoire and she nodded her head gently. “Grams?” I rephrased and her eyes filled with unshed tears.

“I never thought I'd get to hear one of my grandkids call me that,” She chuckled, pulling her eyes up ahead.

I followed the trail of her eyes and they fell up ahead to a large gathering of people, sitting and chatting under the beautiful sky.

“Where are we? What is this place?” I asked, turning to her. “Is this heaven?” It definitely didn't look like hell.

She shook her head at my question. “It's home. Somewhere only we know. Our destination after our long painful journey from the other side,” Her eyes softened and her warm hand took mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I couldn't fight the tears from my eyes and looked away instantly but she pulled her hand to my chin, pulling my face to her.

“I’m so proud of you,” Her padded fingers brushed my tears. “And you should be proud of yourself. You did a good deed. Your sacrifice saved everyone,”

I shut my eyes. That was the only good thing in all of this. They were saved. And Mason was gone.

“It was your destiny to stop the darkness from destroying everything and everyone and you did,”

“Then why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like I'm dying over and over again? How can I find peace knowing everyone I care about would never be the same,”

I collapsed into her arms, crying. But she didn't say a word, instead, her delicate fingers stroked my head tenderly.

“It truly hurts leaving behind everyone you love. When I died, and left your mum behind it broke my heart. She was only five. And I wondered how she'd ever survive, but in the end, she did. And I found peace when her fate led her to her destiny. Her mate,”

I raised my head to her. “Would they truly be okay? Would Mum ever forgive herself for the guilt of thinking she couldn't protect me for the second time? Would Theo be okay? Would Dad be at peace? Would Asher…” I sobbed, my tears wetting her dress. “Would Asher ever forgive me? Would he find someone one day and move on or would the memory of me haunt him for the rest of his life?”

She leaned closer and kissed my forehead, her eyes welled in tears and she shook her head. “No. Their lives would never be the same. No one would truly be okay,”

Her confession destroyed me the more. “Grams,”

“It's the truth. Life is always unfair and fate sometimes is even crueler, but sometimes, the worst situations spring forth a blessing,”

I scrunched my nose and furrowed my brows in confusion, but her sad smile lingered.

She held my hand, the rune on her wrist glowed and our surroundings changed.

I was back to that torturous scene where I gripped Mason and the phoenix blade went through him and pierced into me. The bright light from the stone began to glow blindingly, before it suddenly began to lose its glow and darkness began to crawl in. It was absorbing Mason's life, and soon it began to draw in mine.

That was the awful feeling I felt. The blade began to draw in a blue light but before it could take in all, the stone was completely filled with the darkness and before the blade could completely draw in the blue light, the phoenix stone cracked, and then broke into tiny shards of glass.

I shifted my gaze to her, not exactly sure what she was trying to show me other than the clear fact that Mason and I both died.

“The enchantment placed on the short sword empowers the phoenix stone and acts as a conduit and gives the stone the ability to draw and trap souls within. And destroy such souls.

But fortunately, the stone got destroyed while destroying Idalak's darkness before the blade could completely draw in yours,” She explained but it all sounded like she was speaking in a different language.

“What are you trying to say, Grams?”

“A fragment of your soul is still trapped within the blade,” She pointed to the blade now on the ground as Mason's body had turned into dust.

I could see a blue spark of light within. It was very small but it was there.

My head whipped instantly to her. “What does that mean? Am I dead or am I still alive?”

“At this moment you are neither dead nor alive. Instead, your soul is still hanging on an uneven balance between both worlds,”

“Is that even possible?”

“In a world of magic, everything is possible, even the craziest of them all,” She took my hand in hers. “And now you must make a choice to fix such an imbalance. Whatever decision you make stands. You could either fully crossover to the other side or choose to return to the life you once had,”

The shock that came from the words she spoke paralyzed me and I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't get even a word out.

This couldn't be happening.

“Is this real? Can I really go back?”

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. “We don't have much time dear, you must make a choice. What is it going to be?”

I looked around, and my eyes fell back on the crowd that had gathered to witness my death in tears.

“I don't want to die. I'm not ready yet. I can't leave them all behind,” I muttered in tears, and a warm smile of pride touched Grams's lips.

“You made the right choice, my sweet child,” Her hand caressed my cheek, and a tear slipped down.

As she pulled it away, I moved forward and embraced. She drew me in deeper, firmly securing me in her arms for a while.

As we pulled apart, she shifted her gaze to Mum's broken figure in Dad's arms, weeping.

Grams eyes welled in tears, and she said without taking her eyes off Mum. “Tell her I love her and I'm so proud of the witch she's become,”

I nodded in tears and as her eyes came back to me, she inhaled.

“This is going to hurt a little,” She took both my hands in hers. “I need you to let go of all your emotions and bring your magic to the surface,”

I nodded and did as she said. As she began chanting, the small fragment of blue light that was trapped in the blade began to glow, and it jarred from the blade, moving in the air, and like a magnetic force it moved to where I was.

As Grams continued chanting, Asher, Mum, Dad and the crowd began to fade away and a bright light began to cover us all.

“I love you,” My teary blue eyes connected with that of Grams, and as she smiled at me the rune on her wrist torched brightly, and amid bright light an endless line of women began to appear behind her. Everyone one of them had the Amnell family rune on their wrists and it was glowing brightly.

I shifted my eyes back to hers and she let out the warmest of her smiles as the light began to cover us all, her lips parted and I heard the echoes of her words in my soul.

May the spirits of our ancestors be with you, my child.

And everything faded away.