Redemption

Chapter 25

Azalea stared at the mountain, and at that moment she wanted to die. You are already dead. Her conscience argued. Azalea reached for her weapons but came up with nothing other than the small knife she had from the fight, cursing Samael she stopped, wincing. Holding him up to her eye level.

"I do not think I should be cursing the dead, you will be suffering enough, might as well not add to it."

Inhaling deeply, she readied herself, taking the final steps to the base of the mountain. Orange lava pooled down one side burning everything in its path.

The hourglass was flipped, and its image was projected into the sky. Azalea's heart pounded in her chest as she ascended the treacherous slopes of the volcano. Samael's lifeless eyes seemed to mock her as she struggled up.

You brought this upon yourself, you're selfish and refused to be happy with what you got. He seemed to say. but she pressed on, determined to ignore that she is leading her friend to an eternity of doom.

Scalding winds whipped against her form, making her off balance. Lava flowed sluggishly in the distance, and the ground trembled with the raw power of the earth beneath her feet. With every step, a flicker of satisfaction illuminated her eyes.

As she neared the volcano's peak, the path grew narrower and molten rocks tumbled down. The weight of the head seemed to increase with each stride, but Azalea held on tightly, knowing that no matter how nefarious this act was she needed to do it.

Maybe I need to do this to finally let go, this man isn't Samael anymore. She said comforting herself.

Her foot slipped on loose rocks, and tumbling back she whipped her knife out, wedging it into the nearest crack as hard as she could, dangling she lifted herself until she stood balanced. Letting out a sigh of relief she continued eager to get this over with, as the sand in the hourglass seemed to fall quicker with every passing second.

Finally, she reached the crater's edge, and smoke and searing heat emerged from the abyss below. The mouth of the volcano beckoned her, demanding an offering. Azalea looked at Samael's head for one last time, the feeling of intense sorrow that she would get every time she thought about him, had faded, barely making her heartache.

"Goodbye Samael," she whispered, her voice lost in the wind.

Summoning her strength, Azalea hurled Samael's head into the fiery chasm, watching as it disappeared, the surface bubbling.With a deep breath, she turned away from the fiery spectacle, ready to descend the volcano and embrace the new path that lay ahead. As she began her descent, she heard an ominous rumble, and the ground beneath her feet trembled violently.

Fear surged through her veins as she realized the volcano was awakening, stirred by the sacrifice of Samael. The slopes, once stable, now crumbled and shifted beneath her feet. The volcano's wrath had been unleashed, and Azalea had little time to escape its fury.

Using every ounce of agility, she navigated the perilous descent, dodging falling rocks and rivers of molten lava that cascaded down the mountain's sides. Each moment brought her closer to the edge of disaster, but Azalea fought to stay one step ahead.

Her heart pounded like a drum, her breaths came in ragged gasps, and her muscles screamed with exertion. The volcano seemed to claim her just like Samael, but she refused to yield.

Finally, with the scent of ash and the taste of fear thick in the air, she emerged from the treacherous terrain and stumbled onto safer ground. The volcano rumbled behind her, its fury spent, and the earth settled into an uneasy calm.

Exhausted, Azalea collapsed to her knees, the final droplet of sand falling. She had made it in time. She breathed out a sigh of relief.