Chapter 361: Year of Darkness (1/2)
”HOLD! HOLD! ARSENE, YOU MUST HOLD!” Hephaestus desperately screamed, hammering down till all that was left was ashes.
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”Arsene!”
”Arsene!”
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”Beware of my return,” She whispered with a soft, tender kiss, ”For I will not be the same.”
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”Endless and Eternal,”
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Snapping my eyes open, the blinding flashes of fragmented memories flooded my soul. Desperately gasping for air, my stomach twisted as blood spewed from my lips, spilling over the ground.
I groaned, for It was all I could do before slipping off the bed into a pool of my blood. Still gasping for air, I hastily tried to look around, confused at where I was. The walls appeared to be made of clay. It was simple, holding nothing of elegance. The same could be said about the hay bed in which I laid.
”Where am I.”
I muttered, struggling to lift my body to its feet, only to end in failure. Splashing back into my blood, I laid head first, watching the bubbles of air rising from the small puddle.
”Hephaestus... is dead... Am I?” I weakly muttered while my vision began to fade.
Cling to my consciousness, I held my eyes open and studied myself. My Dantian was dry, and my body's vital Qi was gone. Even for a devil, such a thing should be impossible, but here I lay. My muscles appeared in perfect shape but weak as if I had not moved in years.
”What happened?” I muttered, recalling very few things.
Activating the Demonic Sacrilege Mantra, the Gates of heaven and Earth opened wide as I felt the taste of fresh honey due fill my lips. With each breath I took, a dense mist would fill the black sun that was my dantian.
I had not known how long it had been. I had learned to stop counting. True torment numbers were. But I soon found the energy needed within me to stand upon my two feet.
Noticing the dirty rags upon my body, I looked around the simplistic room, finding a long oak stick that lay silently near my bed. Taking it into my hands, I leaned against it to support my weary self.