Imogen backs a step after the queen slumped on her. While the queen hangs her failing body on Imogen, she whispers with words that Imogen can barely understand, "T-t-thank you…. You kept your word."
With every word, her mouth bubbles up with blood, threading down from her jaw. The sharp pain has turned to pins and needles on every inch of her skin. She tries to control her body from shaking, but that would mean holding her breath with failing lungs.
The queen falls backward to the ground while Imogen still holds her sword, and the blade slides out from the queen's body, bleeding like the object is alive. Imogen senses the warmth from the queen's contact slowly dissipating.
Kyrie appears in front of Imogen, unable to understand why. He walks toward Imogen, and his fists are gripping her collar.
The one-word question "why" hangs on the tip of his tongue, but his emotions clog his throat from wording anything.
Kyrie looks down as he feels the scraping sensation on his ankle. He looks down to see the queen trying to reach him.
Kyrie holds onto the queen, who is unable to breathe normally. Blood floats out of her mouth the more she tries to exhale. She slowly turns pale while choking on her breath like a fish taken out of the water.
[Why? She could have saved the queen. She knows that Yue will back off if she gets involved. She used to be a demigod after all, so why? Why?]
The queen holds Kyrie's arm with only a pained smile on her face.
With that sincere expression, Kyrie knows that the queen is trying to disperse his complicated feelings by taking all the blame on herself. However, that just makes Kyrie's guts twist even harder.
Kyrie starts to use his 'blessing,' but the queen rejects his intentions. She shakes her head while Kyrie tries to find the right words to persuade her.
The queen's pupils shake while staring at Kyrie's watering eyes. She keeps shaking her head.
The queen puts her hand on Kyrie's chest, and Kyrie widens his eyes as he feels Phanes's essence flowing into him.
"No!"
The queen is not going to have any chance of surviving without the essence.
Kyrie wants to take the queen's hand away, but the queen uses her last bit of energy to hold Kyrie from taking her hand off tightly.
When the heavenly soldiers sense the waves of energy getting transferred to Kyrie, they immediately charge toward the ground without Yue's command. However, a black fire obstructs their path, forming a wall as it burns on nothing. The soldiers look at Ian behind the wall of black fire.
Ian's stare burns as effectively as the fire barrier.
Some soldiers stiffen their bodies and force through the wall, but the black fire seems to burn even relics. The fire burns through their armor and eventually turns their flesh into ash.
Yue grinds her teeth, murmuring, "Traitors…."
She hovers her hand in front of her, and a golden thread appears around each heavenly soldier's neck. Then, the golden cords tighten, making each of the soldiers gag for air. A surge of essence flows through the threads to the soldier's body, and like poison, the soldiers' skin turns green.
Their bodies shatter into shards as they turn glass-like. The pieces fall onto the surface unevenly, chiming like tubular bells.
Yue's physical appearance changes again into a young girl as she exhausts her power. Seeing that her job finished, she lowers to the ground. Her eyes stare at Kyrie, whose body is brimming with an energy she is familiar with. Her jaw tightens.
Imogen turns around and gets in the way of Yue's sight.
"It's done, so let's get back."
Yue lifts her head, staring into Imogen's eyes. She turns away from the scene where Kyrie has completely absorbed Phanes's essence into his body.
"What are you going to tell her majesty?" Yue whispers as her body floats off the ground.
Imogen follows Yue to the black hole in the red sky.
"He is just a map that leads us to the last reserve," Imogen replies emotionlessly.
"How loyal," Yue remarks, humming low on her words with a slight pitch at the end.
Imogen turns back to look at Ian. She knows that Ian no longer follows her, but somehow, the sensation of losing him as a companion makes her uncomfortable.
"Are you regretting it now?"
"Nonsense," Imogen replies to Yue.
Their clothes ruffle from the arising wind of the black hole.
"Let's not tell her majesty about the transfer of essence," Yue says after a long silence.
Imogen looks at the end of the tunnel from the black hole they entered, and once out, the trees soar over them. They are back to the White forest.
"She is going to know one way or another," Imogen replies.
"Yes, but she won't know that we discovered it first."
Yue turns to show her seriousness on the issue.
"Why?" Imogen responds after turning to look at the forest steaming with poisonous mist.
"There is too much pressure on her currently. Ever since you entered the fairy kingdom, some old monsters are coming out with their fangs sharpened. They have lived in silence for so long, but they have all been waiting for the day Phanes's reserves to appear. They might have caught the wind that Phanes has given Annora a part of her essence."
"It has nothing to do with the succession."
"It does not matter. They only believe that when they can see it with their own eyes. They even stuck their hands to change all the soldiers that I have assigned to come with me."
Imogen turns silent. Although she has turned mortal, she should not be dealing with things about the god realm. Yet, here she is at it again. If only her mother could let go of her, then she would be free from that association.
Suddenly, a ring of cold metal slices toward her. Imogen twists her feet to face her back and catches the sword thrown at her.
"You and I are done if you go," Laurel heaves as she wipes the sweat dripping from her jaw.
Kyrie and Ian manage to catch up to Laurel with their weapons on hand. Even with that threat, Imogen remains emotionless, like she is not affected by Laurel's threat.
Sensing the apathy, Laurel laughs low with self-mockery.
"I was never something important to you, wasn't I?" Laurel spits those words like they are daggers that only cut through her own flesh.
Everyone else present is shocked because they know how far that comment is from the truth.
Kyrie grabs onto Laurel's arm, "Laurel, that's not…."
"If that is what you want, then so be it," Imogen replies with hidden emotions in her voice.
Laurel's tears flow down silently.
Kyrie shakes his head slightly, catching Imogen's eyes. However, Imogen is not taking back her words.
[Did she really mean her words that she only loved the Laurel from the original timeline?]
"Let's go," Yue says impatiently.
Imogen follows Yue and disappears from the mist. Laurel crumbles down to her knees after Imogen's back disappears.
"That is not what I wanted…." Laurel weeps, "I just wanted you to look at me properly… I…"
"Then tell her properly," Kyrie replies.
"Will we meet again?" Laurel asks.
"Yeah. Definitely, Laurel."
"We will meet her at the next gate, and before that, we will need to strengthen ourselves."
"Then, what is next?" Laurel asks.
"Mount Melan. To the Demon Queen's tomb." Kyrie coughs after replying. The shield that helps the mist from getting to them is weakening.
Then, a sudden rain sprinkles down the forest, dispersing some of the mist away. Kyrie looks up to see the golden rays penetrating the fortress of leaves. A numb heart is all Kyrie can feel at that moment. Ian is not much better.
A hug from behind pushes Kyrie and Ian together, and they both turn their heads. Federline and Lemuel smile at them.
"Then, Mount Melan will be it," Federline mentions with confidence.
Laurel stands back, drying away all her tears, "Let's go to Mount Melan!"
Lemuel joins Kyrie and Laurel with his arms on their back, "Mount Melan it is!"
Kyrie lets out a smile, evaporating the tired feeling on his heart.