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, 

as I finally caught sight of Thea, standing in the centre as is waiting for me. Expecting

a woman now

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

a smile,

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

I decided to immediately get to the point instead. W e both knew there was only one question to be asked here, one that she would be

“Is he dead?” 

for the

was as if the seconds that ticked by were actually hours, dragging on so excruciatingly slow. I could feel the heavy

in complete contrast to myself.

the side slightly, her eyes

all she

exhaled as if the wind had

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

going to kill you,” I whispered under my breath,

as tears stung at my eyes but

just say?” she asked.

I‘m going to kill

saw was red, saw my own anger and the blood on her hands. The blood of every person she had ever

then took a few steps closer and pointed my dagger up towards her, my hand shaking.

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

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

bloodlust pulsing through my

another moment to

saw as her hand came up in 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 strike at her side, aiming for

missing the attack to leave merely a small scratch behind. It was

faster than I expected. Before I could stop her, she caught me on my retreat and kicked the second dagger out of my hand,

noted, finally jumping backwards to create some distance. “This dagger seems familiar. Wasn‘t

a low growl escaped my

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! DIUCU UI 

warned. “After all, the last time we fought, you had to stab me in the shoulder first to make

immediately narrowed at that, no longer finding the situation as

mock me,

she is. The real Thea. The one who speaks how she really feels.

at 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 somehow able to narrowly dodge or redirect

if she could sense my moves as

...Oh. 

once more, confirming the

was in my head.

this meant... this meant the fight was

the other person‘s moves. All she had to do was wait it out until | reached my absolute limit, something dangerously close already after

cheap tricks. After all, you should possess a

her smile instantly contorted into a scowl, messing up those

the very last thing I saw before she

*Clinnnnk.* 

the metal kissing screeching into the

in time to defend against hers, barely with a second to spare, and it marked the point of

endless dance, soon becoming more just a game of speed. The one to win this would be whoever could execute their

ridiculously quickly, faster than even my eyes could properly follow, even the smallest mistake here could end in a lethal blow. I was now completely reliant on my instincts as I moved, putting complete trust in my ability to sense her attacks. Despite already being

rest a moment.

more frustrated as our battle progressed, her movements becoming progressively more forceful as opposed 10 swift.

| asked, now smiling in my chance

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

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riunoreu

ability that was stolen from me.”

noted. “Almost as if a mortal were of

on her full strength rather than speed. It was something I‘d anticipated... and yet was helpless to defend against. I knew it wouldn‘t be possible to keep this up forever... I‘d finally reached my

long meant something so incredibly important. Something worth fighting for.

I‘d tried to cushion

had hurt far worse than

my side to try and get up but winced from

Make her

on their ability. If anything, that

suddenly

ignoring her comment. “A lucky shot isn‘t that

frowned and closed the

me

for the oxygen that had been stolen so aggressively. My whole body had already been aching so much from just the

you...,” she started, a frown forming between her

then I felt it. The

her. Get up and finish the job.‘

–Protect him.’ 

her in

she said, straddling my waist to hold me down. “...What are

nothing to hide,” | spat, squirming under her

to me!”

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