Chapter 42 - The Void (2/2)

Ramose, crippled and broken, bleeding and howling in pain. Ramose, with his head, separated from its body.

Numb and frozen in shock, a memory of when he first tightly held her in his arms resurfaced in her mind. His warm and cautious embrace, the immense satisfaction, completeness, and security she felt.

A strange, frighteningly empty void opened up in Versailles' fiery soul. A cold, dark, and aching abyss where anguish burned like a concentrated venom, searing into the deepest, most guarded part of her soul.

”Yes. Come to me.”

The whisper crept on her skin, stretching into her heart.

”What is the point of fighting to stay alive when there is no meaning to your living. Come to me. I will give you meaning.”

'Yes. What is the point of living? Ramose is gone. Before he appeared, I saw nothing wrong in fighting to survive. Now, what am I even living for? Do I live just for the sake of living? Then what is the meaning in living that kind of life.'

”Yes. There is no meaning. Come to me.”

Ice-cold fingers gripped her heart, covering it in darkness.

'I am tired of living such a life. Two lifetimes of struggling for survival are enough. I do not want to fight just to stay alive anymore. I want a reason to be alive and feel thankful for being alive.'

”Yes, yes. I will give you a reason. Let me in. Kekekeke....everything will be over.”

”That is right. I just need to give up and everything will be over.”

'Everything will be over?'

In the midst of her clouded consciousness, this thought immediately caught her attention.

'Beware of the Shadow'

Suddenly, a bell-like, ancient chime resonated in the darkness. It crushed the black veil and shattered the dark void, scattering the enshrouding darkness.

Versailles shuddered seeing the receding black tendrils on her skin, knowing how close she came to being consumed by the darkness.

She thought of Ramose, his gentle eyes, and reassuring smile as he looked at her like she was the most beautiful creature in the realm. She thought of his formidable might and majestic figure as he confronted three of the six supreme clans and effortlessly came out victorious.

The image of the cruel attack replayed in her mind, filling her vision with red.

'Ramose is not so weak that he would be beaten so easily and brutally by a mere shadow'

'Good. Very good. The damned darkness dared to lie to her!'

Fury, like no other, reverberated with wild force through her consciousness and soul.

She no longer saw darkness.

No! This time, Versailles saw red!

A halo of light surrounded her. A glorious beam, fierce and untainted, blazing like the Great Burning Abyss as it rose to greet her rage. Fierce and wild and violent, the blaze from her soul swelled within her snake body, straining against the confines of the barrier within her mind.

Her body, her mind, her soul felt as if they were on fire!

As the tremendous pressure from her body and soul increased, the unseen barriers within her mind snapped.

Power, fierce and violent and vast, lit her up like a torch, turning her into a living flame.

She was fire, pure and bright, without any restraints.

”You damned darkness, I will scorch you like the black tentacle you are!”