A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Ninety–Three 

...What the hell is this? 

I should be dead. I know I should be. I‘d received a lethal blow to my shoulder with silver. No one could survive that. 

And yet... 

And yet I couldn‘t help but notice that, if I were dead, then the Abyss smelled oddly like a hospital room. A new renovation they must have added since the last time I visited. 

Everywhere in my body ached, everywhere felt... cold. Except for one place. My hand. My right hand felt warm compared to the rest of me. 

So, if I‘m not dead... then what sort of intervention had Selene done this time? Was this the same year or had she brought me back to an earlier time? 

Honestly, it wouldn‘t surprise me if she had just sent me on my way without even telling me. After all, I did try to kill her the last time we met face to face. That probably didn‘t instil a desire to catch up and chat. 

Though how many times could she do that without completely destroying herself? I‘d seen the way Selene looked after reviving me the first time... she‘d basically faded into nothing from exhaustion. Knowing what I knew now, I was pretty certain that she‘d already used up whatever she could spare. 

But if I was alive… didn‘t that mean I could warn the others? Tell them everything I‘d learnt? 

And with that thought, all the past events suddenly started to swarm at me inside. The things Thea had told me, the fighting, the pain... all of it. The weight of the memories finally hit me and I felt my face wincing under its brutal reminder. 

Cold. My hand abruptly felt colder now. As if whatever had been warming it just disappeared. 

“Aria. Are you awake?” 

It was a voice I was familiar with. 

And my breathing caught in my throat, relief instantly flooding me. 

So, I really was alive... and he was here. 

Despite all my failures, I‘d somehow been given my final wish after all. 

I slowly opened my eyes and turned to see Aleric by my bedside. 

I‘d never seen a sweeter sight. 

Only, he looked tired. His black, wavy hair out of place, appearing the same way as when he was woken u p too early. Though, all things considered, that didn‘t really surprise me. He‘d probably been out leading the search for Thea for however long I‘d been in here 

...But that would mean I was still in my own present time, lessening the chance of Selene being involved. 

Which then still begged the question... 

“...How am I alive...?” | asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper. 

He didn‘t look surprised or taken aback by my question. A reaction that told me he probably knew just as well as I did that my survival shouldn‘t have been possible. 

“I guess you could call it a medical miracle,” he answered. “One that you can thank your old silver collar for.” 

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Chapter Ninety Three 

“My... collar?” I asked, frowning. Maybe I really was dead as that would have made more sense than what he‘d just said. 

“The doctors are pretty confused too but everyone seems to agree that the collar is the most likely cause of your survival,” he said, “They think that, because you were exposed to silver all day, every day, for such an extended period of time, your body built up a sort of… natural resistance to the poisoning effects. Trace amounts must have been entering your system via the irritation it left on your skin.” 

When Elder Luke had once said that the effects of prolonged silver exposure were unknown, I don‘t think anyone would have predicted this. This was... completely unheard of. 

“I‘m immune… to silver?” 

“Silver ‘poisoning‘,” he corrected. “And, no, not entirely. Just a better resistance. I guess it‘s sort of like when people regularly subject themselves to low doses of poison if they deal with venomous animals. Makes the effects not as bad should they ever get bitten.” 

“I don‘t...,” | started but wasn‘t sure what to say. I was so confused… but at the same time, none of this seemed possible even if it were true. “I saw the blood… there was so much of it. Too much to survive.” 

“Don’t remind me,” he said, his eyes narrowing from the memory. “Honestly, I‘d never felt so sick in my entire life before when I saw you just lying there, lifeless as your blood embellished the walls and floor.” 

He then paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “…But, that being said, you managed to start healing before it became irreversible. In fact, by the time I arrived with the others, you‘d already stopped most of the worst bleeding on your own.” 

lucky I’d managed to get the handcuffs off then. Resistance or not, I wouldn‘t have been able to use

Aria...,” he said, a small crease forming between his brows.” Calling it a close call would be a gross understatement. Over the last few days, you‘ve undergone several surgeries

wall, completely in shock over everything he was telling

then.... 

I‘m alive because of Tytus and

silver, forcing me to suffer through the humiliation and burning for over a year, had become the very

attention to see he held a small smile. He

I couldn‘t help but ache a little at seeing him do so; to see his smile. To think I almost never

something like

I‘m not dead,”

“... Not dead.” 

perhaps beyond even Selene‘s interference. The chances of this happening

into a fist to test how much it‘d healed. Unlike the rest of my injuries, the dislocation was probably the

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checks, I was pleased to feel that it had

a lot of work to

forgot. Especially when the information included theories of, not only how Thea‘s ability most likely worked, but also

from her, the one to

just within a ten minute encounter

the way to keep her out of my mind was not going to be easy. In fact, if my theories were correct, it might not be possible at all for a while; not

could still feel that nagging bond inside that used to be the place I mistook for my ‘past self‘. I might have let her in, allowing her to dig through, but it was also a two–way street. It meant that I could be certain

would know I had survived... and she would

to dig my claws in enough to live... and

then asked, a little alarmed when I started to suddenly

to start work a s soon as possible. There was too much to do. Even if that just meant writing down my ideas until I could walk

me... help me sit up,” I huffed, grimacing

probably assumed I was going to do it whether he

an innocent enough request when I first thought of it; asking someone to help me sit up. Only I

just how close his body was as his arm wrapped around my back, supporting my weight to sit upright.

right now, his face

Things like his

wondered

he could even take a step, 1 quickly pinched at his shirt to

expected, finding myself reaching out for the comfort his presence gave me. Having almost lost it forever made me now critically aware of just how much I craved it.

said hesitantly, unable to meet his

wanted to say before dying. So much I thought I‘d never get the

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Cluple Nuitty Ihree 

to find out. I owed my life to him and more. A debt I was never going to

so badly to apologise, to find out if he hated me for what i‘d done to him. To hear from him that

the dangerous, unpredictable one now.

it was probably wrong of me, I wanted to know I

unsure how to say the words I needed

frustration just immediately evaporated, **‘ was what he‘d said to me not long ago. ‘*“Almost as though the world just

bond. I knew all too well what it was like to want to hate someone under its influence; to be trapped by the emotions the bond forces you to

would be wrong of

happened in the last few months. If I were him, I would want t o hate me... and it meant that, if I were to ask him for

.Broken.‘ 

...Insane.’ 

... Monster. 

sharply inhaled, shaking my head as Thea‘s influence reared its ugly head inside me. A reminder to stop this chain of

little better since before but obviously not enough. I still had

until ! could process all the information I‘d gathered and work on countering what I could. It would be safer for everyone that way.

“Aria?” 

drugs are wearing off,” I lied, letting him

you not to get up.

him off. “That‘ll just knock me out. We both know it‘s more important to discuss what

looked like he was going to argue but hesitated, probably realising I was right. This information could b e time–sensitive and who knew how long medication might

it wasn‘t all that helpful,” he said, giving in to my request “There is only so much he

or about the lineages, or even Thea‘s involvement with Selene. The only thing he knew was that I‘d made Thea

worse. Before now, Thea wasn‘t able to touch me; or any of us, for that matter, directly. It was caused by some sort of