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, 

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

for a woman now isolated

she remained completely still. Her demeanour was

smile, sending a chill through

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hated that voice. Despised the way my name sounded on

didn‘t waste time with pleasantries though. No, I decided to immediately get to the point instead. W e both knew there was only one question to be

“Is he dead?” 

for the

ticked by were actually hours, dragging on so excruciatingly slow. I could feel the heavy weight of my impatience crushing me,

appearing in

the side slightly,

all she

if the wind had been punched out of

question was as simple as the answer she‘d provided. None of our lives mattered to her, I already knew this.

under my breath, staring at the ground in

my eyes but

just say?”

said I‘m going to kill you!”

eyes. All I saw was red, saw my own anger and the blood on her hands. The

a few steps closer and pointed my dagger up towards her,

I said. “You have taken everything from me. Everything.

immediately laughed at my words, finding it more amusing than anything,

pulsing

taking another moment to think.., I charged

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 her

leave merely a small scratch behind. It was barely more than a

be it and tried to move back to begin my next attack, but somehow she moved faster than I expected. Before I could stop her, she caught me on my retreat and kicked the second dagger out of

distance. “This dagger seems familiar. Wasn‘t this the same weapon I killed your friend with?”

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

immediately narrowed at that, no longer finding the situation

me, child….”

she is. The real Thea. The one who speaks how she really feels. As if we‘re

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

my moves as I could hers.

...Oh. 

to see her smiling at me once more, confirming the answer

was in

this meant the fight was

she had to do was wait it out until | reached my absolute limit,

“I would have thought that you could defeat me easily without cheap tricks. After all, you should possess

her smile instantly contorted into a

thing I saw before she lunged towards me

*Clinnnnk.* 

daggers collided once more, the sound of the metal kissing screeching into the air around us.

with a second to spare, and it marked the

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

already!” she finally screamed, jumping back to rest a moment.

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

matter, Thea?” | asked, now smiling in my

barked back. “You would have been dead a

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UNE riunoreu

was

struggling this much,” I noted. “Almost as if a mortal were of equal power to you. Really

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

so incredibly important.

to my chest, sending me flying backwards until I hit the ground roughly. I‘d tried to cushion the

had hurt far worse than

side to try and get up

up. Make her pay.‘

than normal. Apparently, I wasn‘t the only one losing grasp on their

suddenly

ignoring her comment. “A lucky

frowned and closed the distance between us.

sent another kick to my chest, forcing me onto my back once more, “...what I

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

a frown forming between her

The rummaging

her. End her. Get up and finish the job.‘

–Protect him.’ 

let her

said, straddling my waist to hold me down.

hide,” | spat, squirming under

to

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