22 | Hunting Contest; Last One

"What is freedom really mean to you?" Tina whispered while looking at the beautiful and vast blue sky on one hot summer night. With her hollowed eyes staring at the sky, she sighs.

"What is freedom when everything about you is demanded by them?" She said still looking above the skies.

The history of Alphas was written like a story of a hero and a villain. Aniya makes everything in her strength to defeat Tina who was the rumored Lady of The Prophecy, who was the Saintess's daughter and was favored by the Goddess of Beginning. Tina already has it all and is considered to be the most powerful Alpha member she is.

But her powers didn't influence her in a bad way, instead, she befriended everyone and became gentle and Innocent which makes her lovable and cute to anyone. She was a brave and kind child, protecting her friends from any harm in every war she went into with the Alphas.

She's skilled in Archery and Swordsmanship, but her special skill is magic because of her low physical stamina. She has the most mana inside her body that she didn't even need a core to support. But what really happened in the past?

Everything was perfect. Tina already has everything other people could ever ask for. But, did she? Her family abandoned her and failed to recognize Tina as Duke Zues lost daughter. Hethan who was Tina's stepbrother failed to do his duty as a brother to Tina. Samuel who fell in love with Tina but in the end, he decided to cheat on her in the pretense of "protecting her". Sylvia died early and she left Hiro alone in the orphanage. Aniya and Hezelle who was the only one left for her to trust, as for Lovelia the real villain of the story.

Lovelia made a deal with the devil himself and made the mysterious Lady from the human realm enter the world everyone lives in. Because for some reason, The Devil manipulated the Imperial Family and pretends to worship the Goddess of Beginning until the present day.

Tina was supposed to be the lady who should defeat the Devil. But betrayals after betrayals and lies after lies came into her life that made Tina feel weak and awakened a power that should never awaken.

Aniya betrayed her, everyone betrayed her. Especially Hezelle who was the only one she hopes to believe in. Standing in front of her, the thunder roared and the light illuminated her pair of purple red eyes. The color of her eyes symbolizes her agony and madness towards her as she pointed the sword toward her throat with a trembling hand. She who had eyes that change colors with its emotion cries in tears.

She cannot believe herself, nor didn't even see it coming. She realizes she was an idiot for the life she lived. She thought she protected them, but she was the one who was tricked and abused by her kindness to them.

Eyes that once had a mesmerizing purple eye mixed with blue symbolizing her emotion of love to them now filled with madness and pain. She had never once thought about this betrayal. She trusted them the most.

She has already lost someone she cherishes, and now the one she hopes to not leave her side has now also left her. She didn't lose them, but she was left alone.

Betrayals of friendship and love, she had already enough. She gulped, having hatred in her eyes as she glares at the lady with hazel-colored hair — she cuts her head in a swift second leaving no trace of the body.

She knelt down as she felt her knees get weak. The thunder roars again and the silhouette of the bodies below her appeared. The body of the friends she killed made her heart burst into pain once more. She has accepted the fate she doesn't want too, but she also had no other choice.

Losing sanity, she thought killing them is right. She was made into a villainess that no one wants.

But deep inside Tina knows killing them isn't the right thing. But what can she do now? It is already too late when she found out the truth. It was not Aniya who betrayed her but Lovelia herself. She made a deal with the devil and when Tina heard this awful truth, she felt disgusted by herself.

She killed everyone because she believed they killed her too. But the truth is, it was all just a lie. Everything they made her believe was because they wanted to protect her. Protect her naive self.

It may sound so selfish, but they wanted it to be. As long as Tina is free, they will be selfish until the day they die.

Aniya's smiles with tears falling from her eyes keep haunting her dreams and the corpses she killed also plagues her. She cries alone in the corner of her room, defeated by this war she went in. She already had enough of the pain, but they just won't let her go.

"Kill me," Aniya said with a smile. It was the first smile that Aniya gave to anybody else. She never smiles in the past, but Aniya was different when it comes to Tina. Because after all, Aniya's life became much better when Tina appeared in her life.

She became her light in her darkest night and days. But she decided to betray and lie to her for the sake of her freedom.

For years, Tina was haunted by the same dream all over again. And thus, disappeared into the thin air in the world again. Leaving just a little few traces of the Alphas in the abandoned world where everlasting snow exists.

**********

The gloomy sky spread all over the world of dimension that Tina made for herself to stay in seclusion. The harsh winter air kept Elyse feeling cold as the snowflakes fell from the sky. The world feels quiet and lonely — a perfect place for Tina.

Elyse slowly opens her eyes to find herself lying on the cold snowy ground. She sat down to find herself alone in the dark and gloomy place surrounded by pine trees and darkness. Only a snow-full moon shone brightly towards Elyse.

Elyse stood up, fixing her clothes. She tried to use her powers to warm herself up but unfortunately, there was no use. She couldn't use her magic in this realm of consciousness for Tina.

"You can't do magic here." A mysterious beautiful voice echoed in her surroundings. She quickly tries to search for that voice with her eyes scanning the place.

"Who are you?! What did you do to me?" Elyse said with her stuttering voice. She cannot handle the cold too much so she hugs herself by wrapping both of her arms into her chest.

"Unfortunately, that is my question to you." The woman answered and appears right in front of her. Elyse jolted in fear but she calmed herself down when she saw a beautiful and pale woman who looks exactly like the snow moon. A pair of beautiful purple night sky eyes but it was emotionless. Her skin was fair as white snow, and her beautiful long black hair.

She instantly recognizes her familiar figure, her white long dress, and a full moon tattoo on her forehead.

"Alpha of Everlasting Snow Moon..." Elyse whispered but it was enough for Tina to hear.

"The title is way too long," She commented and walked away from her.

Something made her feel to outreaches her hand and begins running towards her. A tear fell in her eyes as her eyes shone brightly with gold and her hair turned to silver.

"WAIT! DON'T GO!" Elyse shouted and chases the woman but strangely enough, she couldn't reach her even though she had already run enough towards her. She stopped, catching her breath feeling tired running towards her.

"You couldn't catch me," Tina reappears behind her and it made Elyse jolted in surprised. Her expression brightened when she finally saw her up close.

"Tina! Wait no, you're Lucia! Lucia!" She said with an excited voice but her expression remains emotionless.

"What brings you here?" Tina changes the topic with her cold yet serene voice.

Elyse halted as her headaches remembered what happened earlier. Elyse accidentally opens the seal which made a part of the Devil escape and that woman, yes that human accomplice of that Devil was behind all of this.

"Please! Help me!" Elyse begged.

"I don't know what happened. But, Alpha of The Snow Moon, will you be willing to help me —"

"No." She immediately refused and turned her back away from her.

"No, wait! Listen to me! Your Descendant is also there! Do you want to harm your only bloodline?" Tina stopped and she scoffs.

"Bloodline? I have no such thing as a family or even romantic relationships. How could I ever have a Descendant?" Elyse froze. Right, Tina was right. She has neither of those since Luna was just a Descendant of Sylvia her best friend.

'Wait, Sylvia's Descendant?'

Elyse gulped.

"Fine! She isn't your Descendant. Then what if I tell you, it's Sylvia your best friend's Descendant?" Tina froze and looked at her, glaring with red eyes. She quickly disappears and appeared right behind Elyse and kicked her. The illusion broke and only a blank white room appears.

Tina holds her neck as she tightens her grip, trying to choke Elyse off. She coughs, trying to escape from her grasp but she was nowhere strong. Of course, since Tina or Lucia is the killer of the Alphas. And a powerful one at that.

"Release me," Elyse demanded but Tina stares at her with her cold eyes.

"Why are you suffering, Tina?" She pauses and releases Elyse immediately. Tina scoffs.

"You're one smart, Elyse. I almost believe Aniya was here." She said and walked away with her sarcastic tone.

"Are you really going to make the same mistake all over again, Tina?" Elyse spoke, trying to stand up coughing.

"I already remember it. You... are my Ancestor." Elyse continues, 'Although there's still something feels missing.'

"Why are you trying to cage yourself again, Tina?"

"I thought you wanted to be free?"

Tina turned around and glares at her. "You don't know anything."

Elyse scoffs, "of course I do. You have already seen it for yourself. Why, do you want me to recite it to you?" She asks looking at Tina with her smug face.

"Help me save my friends, Tina. I beg of you. Or even if I won't help them. I would still defeat the devil in that orb. Tina, I know you needed me, so please use me. This will benefit both of us." Elyse said with determination in her eyes.

Tina paused for a moment, staring at Elyse as if she just saw a memory of Aniya and herself in the past. Who was brave and smart, clever and strong?

"Aniya died... inside of my realm." Elyse froze looking at her.

"She was the last person I killed. After I defeated everyone. I killed her. In my own hands." Tina then looked at her hands with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"She was smiling at that time." Tina continued.

"I guess you got that from her." Both of them fell into silence while staring at each other.

"Very well, I shall help you. But remember this, don't ever bother me again." Tina said while the scenery of the realm she created starts to change.

"Tina, wait!" Elyse outreaches her hand again when she saw Tina walking away from her while the scenery is changing.

She's going to disappear again!

But the moment she caught Tina, Elyse woke up and the ruined Castle disappeared. Even the Mysterious Lady died. But the orb of the devil was nowhere to be found.

Elyse stood up, feeling her head throbbing from pain and her chest feeling weak. She starts to cry again, remembering the memories of her true ancestor — Tina, The Alpha of Everlasting Moon Snow who is also much known as Lucia.

"Elyse..." Dain slowly approaches her with tears in his eyes.

He knelt down, caressing her cheeks. He smiled, "It's you," he says and hugs her.

"I'm sorry," Dain whispered in Elyse's ear.

Because of the awakened of Tina or Lucia's Descendants, everyone was possessed by their Ancestor's spirit and treats each other like how they used to be Centuries ago.

The pain of the past has now been long gone, they say. But in reality, the pain of the long forgotten is still there. Just like the wishes of hopes coming from the Alphas.