A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 101

Chapter One Hundred & One 

...Dead? 

No... that couldn‘t..... 

I could feel my heart racing at hearing her words. 

Why would she have done that? Why do something before... 

Unless... unless she expected me to rush into war regardless of whether she used him as bait. Because she knew I wouldn‘t have any way of knowing he was alive and would assume that I would come for him blindly anyway. 

‘It‘s just another move made to hurt me. 

During our stay in the cabin, I‘d always avoided the topic of Aleric marking me. I hadn‘t wanted to tie him t o me knowing I might not be long for this world, and I didn‘t want to put him through feeling that pain upon my death. But I hadn‘t anticipated for the reverse to now become detrimental to me. If only I‘d actually done it, I would have known the minute it had happened and saved everyone from rushing in to save him 

So then, was he actually... dead? 

And the most guttural, animalistic growl then escaped my lips, forcing several people nearby to flinch and shy away from the pressure. 

This wasn‘t how it was meant to go. 

He wasn‘t meant to die from my own failure to save him in time. 

He wasn‘t meant to die before me. 

I could feel Thea‘s eyes watching me closely, feel the smirk on her face. 

...And suddenly I knew what I needed to do. 

My legs started sprinting towards her, pushing myself to move faster and faster. Several people were fighting between us but I didn‘t let that distract me, manoeuvring around them with ease without breaking stride even once. 

“Aria!” I heard someone yell. 

But I wasn‘t stopping. 

This was because of her. It was her fault. She needed to pay. 

I kept on running to the treeline, towards the figure waiting for me there. Nothing would be able to stop m 

...Not even the ten or so rogues I could now feel following me. 

They were trailing behind just close enough that they would probably catch up soon, having the advantage of four paws over me But just before I could make it to the trees, I sensed as one of them went to lunge at my legs, trying to pull me down. 

Not that this would be nearly enough against me though. Not when I could see their next move. 

Teffortlessly dodged their attack, countering with a dagger into their side, and their body slowly rolled to a stop two feet away. 

The others became frenzied at seeing me kill the rogue and began circling around me, snapping and 

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Chapter One Hundred & Une 

growling towards me as they waited to strike. They were now laking their time to size me up as their pack mentality kicked in. 

But I didn‘t have time for this. 

I looked up towards the trees, now close enough to meet Thea‘s eyes, and a mixture of frustration and desperation consumed me. I needed to get to her in time. To catch her before.… 

And then my heart sank as she did exactly what I feared, 

With a final smirk at my situation, she quickly turned around and began running into the woods, away from the battle. 

Fuck. 

“Get lost already!” I yelled at the rogues angrily. “I don‘t want to fight you.” 

Clearly, they took this the wrong way though as I watched them begin eagerly approaching closer. They stupidly ignored what I‘d just done to their comrade and took my words to mean that I was afraid of fighting so many of them at once. 

....Something they then acted upon, attacking me under that false belief. 

Without any further hesitation, they all began to charge me, trying to overpower me with sheer numbers. Unfortunately for them though, I saw every one of their attacks, 

‘Left... dodge... Swipe....‘ 

I moved around all the rogues fluently, swiftly taking them out one after another. 

‘Drop... side–kick... stab....‘ 

And before even five minutes had passed, soon I was all that remained. Standing in a circle of dead rogues around me, covered in their blood as I looked down with distaste. They‘d failed to land even a single scratch on me. 

All they‘d accomplished with their lives now lost was wasting my time. Time that could have been better spent going after Thea. What a meaningless death indeed. 

Aster one final look at the bodies around me, I then resumed running towards the woods, tracking Thea‘s disgustingly sweet scent through the trees. I could feel as the branches scratched against my skin as I ran through the foliage, not caring to take the extra seconds needed to slow down and avoid them. My mind was set on one thing, and one thing only. 

Thea 

“Suddenly, another clearing came into sight, opening up into a large empty plain. I could see how the trees surrounded the area in a circular way, giving it the appearance of being almost like an arena. And yet. something about this place felt familiar. Something that was impossible given I‘d never travelled anywhere near here before, 

the chance to think on it further as I finally caught sight of Thea, standing in the centre as is waiting for me.

a woman

any sudden movement, but she remained completely still. Her demeanour was telling me to face her, wanting me to

with a smile,

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I hated that voice. Despised the way my name sounded on her

point instead. W e both knew there was only one question to be asked here, one that she would be expecting from me.

“Is he dead?” 

the answer, my heart beating deafeningly

excruciatingly slow. I could

Thea barely reacted, appearing in complete contrast

head to the side slightly, her eyes

all she said.

the wind had been punched out

so plainly. As though the question was as simple as the answer she‘d provided. None of our lives mattered to her, I already knew this. But it felt like salt in the wound to hear her confirmation a

you,” I whispered under my breath, staring at the

tears stung at my eyes but I barely

just say?”

I‘m going to

a burning hatred in my eyes. All I saw was red, saw my

few steps closer and pointed my dagger

taken everything from me. Everything. I don‘t care what it costs

laughed at my words, finding it more amusing than anything, and it only acted in

bloodlust pulsing through

without even taking another moment to think.., I charged at her.

defence, looking to deflect my arm by hitting it to the side, but I read her like a book. Using my other hand, I then unsheathed a second dagger and brought it up to

leave merely a small scratch behind. It was barely more

be it and tried to move back to begin my next attack, but somehow she moved faster than I expected. Before I

seems familiar. Wasn‘t this the same weapon I killed your friend

a low growl escaped my lips menacingly.

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! DIUCU UI 

you need to be concerned about right now is your own,” I warned. “After all, the last time we fought, you

at that, no longer finding the situation as

me, child….”

who speaks how she really feels. As if we‘re all beneath

her again, moving faster and faster a si tried to land multiple different blows on her body. Pushing myself to hit her even once. And, before too long had passed, soon only the sound of our daggers colliding filled the air as they matched perfectly. With every strike, it was as though she was

sense my moves as I could hers.

...Oh. 

see her smiling at me once more, confirming the answer I‘d

was in my head.

the fight was basically impossible for

All she had to do was wait it out until | reached my absolute limit, something dangerously close already after

have thought that you could defeat me easily without cheap tricks. After all, you should possess a wealth of knowledge with endless experience... or is it that you’re becoming senile in your old age and need all the help you

instantly contorted into a scowl,

ended up being the very last thing I saw before she lunged towards

*Clinnnnk.* 

the metal kissing screeching into the air

brought my dagger up just in time to defend against hers, barely with a second to spare, and it

other‘s move before it could land in what felt like an endless dance, soon becoming more just a game of speed. The one to win this would be whoever could execute their attack o in the other first. The loser would

even my eyes could properly follow, even the smallest mistake here could end in a lethal blow. I was now completely reliant

jumping back to rest a moment. A drawback of her mortal body, I

and more frustrated as our battle progressed, her movements becoming progressively more forceful as opposed 10 swift. It was only a matter of time before she got

smiling in my chance to gloat. “Having some

barked back. “You would have been dead a thousand times over by now

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UNE riunoreu a une

that was stolen from

yet you‘re struggling this much,” I noted. “Almost as if a mortal were of

full strength rather than speed. It was something I‘d anticipated... and yet was helpless to

battle had lasted this long meant something so incredibly important. Something worth fighting

kick directly to my chest, sending me flying backwards until I hit the ground roughly. I‘d tried to cushion the fall with my arms but still ended up

had hurt far worse

my side to try and get

Make

only one losing grasp on

suddenly asked,

ignoring her comment. “A lucky shot isn‘t

frowned and closed the distance

and she sent another kick to my chest, forcing me onto my

that had been stolen so aggressively. My whole body had already been

you...,” she started, a

I felt it. The rummaging

her. Get up and finish the job.‘

–Protect him.’ 

let her

straddling my waist to hold me down. “...What are

| spat, squirming under

to me!”

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