Sovereign

Limbo

Rossiya Moretti Pov

"For how long do you plan on keeping up this charade?"
"It's quite pathetic to watch," the girl in the mirror stated the obvious. I had deduced that she was a stone hearted female who had no regard for the pain I was in but between talking to her and losing my mind in the prison I had created, the latter seemed to be the lesser evil.

"It's not that I'm heartless, well I am but that's besides the point; it's just that I just don't understand how a young woman of your caliber can wreck herself over an ancient man with whom she simply brushed fingers."
Her voice was cold, but the words were factual nonetheless. However I was still reeling from everything that happened, from finding my mate to witnessing his utter disgust at me. His face was so close to mine that I could see the flakes of silver and gold in his midnight blue eyes that seemed to have me rooted in place while his words cut into me.

I had become hysterical after he pulled back, mad with grief. Varda and Lucellion had to restrain me, that was when someone touched my head and the words went dark. I had woken up in this strange place with her beside me. I knew the reason I couldn't go back to the real world was of my own making because I could hear everything going on and the voice from that day confirmed that I was keeping myself in a death-like state. Three days, it had been that long and the person who sat by me the most was Lucellion, sometimes for hours on end telling me stories of his 'oh so fabulous life.'

"Are you really going to let someone you can grind into dust reduce you to such a degree of worthlessness?" She spat, her gold and obsidian eyes glaring daggers at me. I found myself lost in awe once more, she wore a dress much like mine but in black and gold. Her hair was the blackest I'd ever seen yet she had this otherworldly beauty about her that would bring any man or woman to their knees.

"How am I supposed to move past this? I've heard the stories of how situations like mine end up, I'd much rather stay here with you even if you're a cold hearted bitch," I said with a halfhearted laugh. She sighed and bent down so we were at eye level. "Listen, there's a lot you don't know and a lot I cannot tell you but for the life of me I will divulge some truths."

With a wave of her hand multiple windows appeared around us, some were of wandering spirits, others were of post apocalyptic nature with cracks in the ground that served as gates for malicious souls to seep back into our worlds. Others were as horrible and souls taking over human bodies and ripping the original soul apart, or even taking over the deceased and feasting on the living. There was more than that, so much more and it got worse each time.

"The underworld is falling apart, Hades like any other ruler of a realm cannot balance the power on his own, he needs a queen who can handle the sheer power of the underworld. He's tried in the past but all of them died except one; that's where you come in."

I stared at her and back at the windows, my heart went out to the dead as well as the living. "Because he is unable to keep the power balanced the underworld is creeping into the mortal realm and is also making him extremely volatile. So even if he doesn't want you as his mate it's only a matter of time before the supernatural council order the two of you to marry, you won't die because you are its rightful queen. Despite what you may think, the underworld is one of the pillars of existence so if it were to collapse along with Hades there will be nothing short of an apocalypse." She had a faraway look in her eyes but I didn't miss the apprehension in them.

"Aside from that you haven't even tapped into your power, you're still a novice. I need you to train your body and soul Rossiya; I need you to fully assimilate yourself, not just as a nekromanteia but your divinity and fae blood," her eyes softened for the first time since we met, as though she was begging me. I had so many questions, about the girl who lived to be queen and about my divine blood but I knew she couldn't tell me even if she wanted to. So instead I found myself leaning into her touch and accepting her words. I would have to play house with Hades.

*
A moment later my eyes opened, I just lay there for a moment soaking everything in. I had made my decision, there was no going back.