A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Eighty Five 

Nebunang inside my head was enough to eventually snap me out of the vision and I fell to the ground, We the pain subsided. 

What i‘d just wen was indescribable. 

And not just seen but felt. I‘d felt what they had; what both Thea and Selene had gone through. Their pain, 

43s a universe spanning far beyond my limited knowledge, a timeline as old as time itself. 

And it has now been burned into my brain. 

Sene had been right. Only describing this story wouldn‘t have been enough. What I‘d just experienced gave me angrer understanding than just simply being told. 

that cont meanl accepted what this meant for me. For all of us. Something she was probably electing me to be lenient on given her status. 

* We don‘t mean anything ” I whispered to myself, still somewhat in a daze. “We‘re just... fodder. Pawns. Foot solders for you.” 

I locked back up sharply and met her eyes. She was staring at me with caution, taking in my manner. And sve probably was right to do so. 

This is why you didn‘t tell me earlier. Why you kept everything a secret,” I said, my voice slowly becoming stronger you knew that if I knew the truth, the real truth, that I would have immediately declined to come back We‘re not stopping a war to protect *us“, we‘re fighting it purely because of you. Because of your own selfish actions that began all of this. *We* didn‘t do anything to Thea. *We* didn‘t hurt her, betray her or even ask to be reborn with her powers. *You* made that decision. *You* put us in the front Ene to face your mother so you wouldn‘t have to take responsibility for your actions. And once we‘re cone Thea will just continue with her original mission for revenge. All because you couldn‘t accept losing something you loved again. Just like when your brother died. Tell me, Selene, how many more of my kind need to ce because you couldn‘t accept that fact?” 

My mentioning of her brother must have been a sore spot as I could feel the pressure start to exude off of . her, a nerve apparently now struck. 

Wy child, let us not forget–.” 

“But we‘re not,’ I interjected, shakily getting back up to my feet. “Your children, that is. Not really. We‘re bor of Thea‘s powers. She is, by technical definition, our so–called ‘Great Mother‘. Her powers gave us new life and we carry her blood. You are merely a surrogate, at best.” 

you carry a piece of me directly,” she argued, a tone of anger now obvious in her voice. “However you want to look at it for the others, that is your choice. But I, personally, gave you this new life. How dare you acı ungrateful.” 

And were the others grateful too?” I asked. “The ones who came before me? Because I know I‘m not the first one you have ‘blessed‘ with your mark. What happened to the other Saints, Selene? Did they die for you too? 

Her eyes narrowed, clearly not happy with the change in topic. 

* ..Were they descendants as well?” I prompted when she still hadn‘t replied. “From the other two lines that died? Are they gone now because of your actions?” 

Finally, she spoke, her voice low with the undertone of warning. 

“...They were.. mistakes. 

Mistakes? What did that mean? That they made a mistake... or that she regretted marking them? 

...What had she done to them if she thought that way? 

What would you do with something that failed to do its job?‘ The voice inside whispered. We were created only to benefit her, an organic tool to keep her mother trapped on the mortal plane. What do you think she‘ll do to us if we aren‘t useful?‘ 

She wasn‘t wrong but I wasn‘t sure what I could do about it. 

‘Think for a second,‘ the voice continued. ‘When she gave us a piece of herself, she was weakened, remember? She told us she was. Just as Thea was broken into pieces, she, too, broke off a piece of herself for us. What do you think she‘s going to do once Thea is gone?‘ 

And suddenly I realised what she was implying. 

‘If we truly want to survive this then... 

… Then I needed to be wary of Selene too. 

‘Not just wary,‘ the voice corrected. ‘There is little chance she‘ll let you keep that piece of her once we‘ve removed her biggest threat. She‘ll want it back – she‘ll want to become whole again. And who‘s to say what is even keeping us alive right now? What if that piece is the only thing sustaining us? We were meant to be dead. We don‘t even belong in this timeline.‘ 

...She was saying that Thea wasn‘t our only enemy. 

‘At the end of the day, it‘s you or her,‘ the voice said. 

But what was I meant to do? Kill Selene? That was insane. She was a Goddess. 

So is Thea‘ 

But I couldn‘t kill her. I wasn‘t strong enough for something like that. Thea was at least weaker. 

‘Do you honestly think you‘ll get a better chance than right now? Or do you want to wait until she comes back to rip that piece out of you? After we‘ve done her dirty work and we‘re tired from fighting against a different Goddess? What do you have to lose by trying?‘ 

disagree per se but that didn‘t

going to die either way. You need to

But 

‘DO IT NOW 

almost as if acting on reflex from her order, I pulled my dagger

the

hand came

the

for her

is the

is the

is the

“KNEEL!” Selene roared. 

fell to my knees

surprise but we‘d been just a second too slow. Just one second away from accomplishing something I‘d originally

knowing Selene wouldn‘t ever let her guard down like that again. It meant that, like i t or not, we probably weren‘t going to survive this ordeal to grow old one day. She‘d made it clear that we were created to fulfil only

eve 

and dirt were

Ur 

ra 

just barely drawing blood… I saw where I‘d nicked her skin

one of my suspicions correct; she really was part mortal now and capable of bleeding. It may have been caused by the tiniest of pieces missing from her but it was enough. Enough for

I have grown tired of this. You now have

began to walk back into the forest, the ground still trembling as she left. It was a

at least, an *almost* complete

chuckle started to bubble in my chest, building more and more until it became full laughter. Almost hysterical as the adrenaline pumped through me from accepting my new fate. Something that caught

down, a frown forming between her perfect

my lips. “A coward and a liar. The weakest creature I have ever met. You once told me I could choose my own fate... and yet you knew from the very beginning that such a thing was impossible. But I want you to know something… Even if I should fail, I want you to know that I‘ll live my eternity in the Abyss happily. That just the thought of you getting what you deserve will mean I can

deepened as she took in my words, her head

into thin air, just like

more than just that, more than just a frown.

could have sworn I saw

just a split second, just behind the surface, but it had been

seen

empty. Like I wasn‘t sure why I

been prepared to die... then felt relieved when I‘d lived. Now, after being shown the cold truth of my world from Selene, nothing felt as

like I was just waiting

Chapter Eighty–Five 

I could feel my expiration date looming above me; something that I‘d thought I‘d prepared myself for and yet having to suddenly acknowledge that made things feel so... pointless. Because the chances of killing not one, but two Goddesses were extremely low. That was just the brutal reality whether I liked it

but even that

so long as Selene survived. And stopping Thea would help them... but it

be fighting this war for just their future; for just the rest of my species. For even the ones who hurt me, betrayed me, rejected and humiliated me. For even the ones who stood in opposition o f me with such prejudice even though I was just trying

the majority of packs were still doing in the

results? Just as Selene had said, we were all children in this universe with

She‘d shown me how all of these niceties to

just make them all kneel

a higher understanding of how all of this worked; probably more so than even all the Elders combined. It was clear to me

more power than

to their lineage, but that didn‘t stop me from commanding loyalty and respect from the other packs. To force them into a submission that would ultimately be

with the Silver Lake. Nor

to be war when I had the alliance, and more, completely back under my command within the month? Starting a war with the Winter Mist now would be only

notify me should Thea ever return there. I even sent Elder Luke to visit him and assist with his ailment. Because whilst I still didn‘t trust him, it didn‘t mean that I wanted her to retrieve her powers back from him either. She might not be able to physically hurt

I‘d made sure everyone knew Thea‘s name, knew she was public enemy number one. And, without any further arguments from opposing forces, she quickly became the

all unified in one single goal;

voice called out, making me look up from

face expressing an urgency

wasn‘t sure what could make a man like Elder Luke worried but I‘d be

seemed to sway him during our work together over the past month, something

it?” I asked, straightening up in

calm himself but his

“He‘s demanding to see you.”