𝕱𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖊𝖘, 𝖜𝖊 𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖊.
The legendary Phoenix is reincarnated from his ashes every thousand years... or so the story goes. When Emrys wakes days after his death with bare memories, the vengeful deity responsible for his revival is...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
|| CHAPTER 16.3 || || EVA ||
SHADOW PORTALS WERE HELL.
It was nothing like entering Astraela through swirling magic older than time itself, where Eva's weightlessness mingled with the buzzing power in a way that was nearly intoxicating. This was like stepping into endless Darkness. The odorless smoke was so thick, so all-consuming that its suffocating nature brought a new wave of fire to her lungs with every passing moment.
By the time the shadows cleared, Eva wondered how she was still standing. Her legs were jello; her head spun from the lack of oxygen. Panic seized her mind in a bitter cold vice. A small arm linked with hers, and she looked down to find a nauseated Jade clinging to her side. Bobbi flanked the young girl's other side, jaw squared against the panic that flared in her dark eyes.
The surrounding world was vastly different yet even more eerily dim. Rather than smoke and ash, natural dark shadow blanketed them from all sides as if they had never left the Demonic portal. But the suffocating void did not allow Eva's eyes to adjust. This new space, however, did.
A dank, smelly cave seemed like a major downgrade from a coastal village, but anything was better than Nox's portal. Damp cold shuddered her bones. Water dribbled from the stalactites above, pooling against the uneven stone. Rain pounded from an entrance not twenty yards away, where Astraela's blight was only broken by the raging storm. Through the torrent, trees were sparse, and grasslands spanned for miles in every direction.
Nox stepped past her with confidence she wished to have in their situation. For every stalagmite he strode near, they lit with luminescent crystals that washed the cavern in a minty hue.
Eva shuddered. She had never been here before, but something about it felt... familiar. A sinking feeling hit her stomach, and she wondered just how many past lives had brought her—or Thana—here.
"Are we sure about this?" asked Sage. Her soft voice echoed off the stone.
A rock clunked heavily as she nudged it with her hoof. She had adjusted her bridal-style grip on Emrys, who was now cradled to her chest—like if he was not right against her heart, he would slip from her grasp.
Limp, pale, and dirty, Emrys looked more like Hell than Hell itself.
Mystia stepped closer, fingers brushing gingerly against his poorly-cleaned neck. Her eyes lingered on Sage's with a crinkled brow.
"I know it's dirty," said Mystia, "but it will be worse to keep this thing in his neck." She let her hand fall to her side. "And speak out loud, will you? Projecting your thoughts is rather alienating to our company."
Eva tilted her head. "Projecting her thoughts?"
"Faon have strong telepathic abilities—set him down there, love." Mystia motioned toward a less-bumpy spot on the ground, and Sage knelt down reluctantly. "She can read your mind as quickly as she can speak into it."
