daughter of darkness and light

chapter 19

As everyone gathered for the meeting, I sat down, feeling a sense of nostalgia and excitement. Soon, the gods and goddesses entered one by one—Nyxara, my closest friend, ran toward me, tears in her eyes. "I thought you died!" she cried.

I hugged her, smiling softly. "I won’t die that easily." As we all took our seats, I noticed an empty spot. Curious, I leaned over to Thalor, another close friend, and asked, “Is someone missing?”

“That’s Elisa’s seat,” he replied, his tone slightly somber. “He’s always late.”

As the meeting began, everyone congratulated me on my return. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and a drenched Elisa stood there, holding an unconscious Bella. My heart sank, and I screamed, rushing to take her from him. Elysara tried healing her, but it wasn’t working. I summoned my divine wisdom magic and managed to heal her, pulling her into a tight hug as tears streamed down my face.

“What happened?” I asked Bella gently.

Sobbing, she replied, “A woman pushed me into the water.” Reading her thoughts, I saw an image of Nera. Anger surged through me, and I teleported Nera into the room. "Did you push her?" I demanded.

She sneered. "And what if I did? I’ll kill you next."

Fury took over as I began choking her, only to feel a cold rush—Elisa’s ice bolt coming toward me. I stopped it mid-air and absorbed it. Calista observed calmly, “So, you’ve mastered that power too?”

“Yes,” I said, glancing coldly at Nera in Elisa’s arms. “I’ve also reclaimed the mage magic someone stole from me.”

Bella whimpered, drawing my attention back to her. I noticed a red mark on her cheek. “What happened, Bella?” I asked gently.

“Nera slapped me,” she whispered.

My blood boiled. I marched toward Nera and slapped her hard across the face, the sound echoing in the room. Before anything else could happen, the doors flew open, and Draven rushed in, scooping Bella into his arms. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice laced with worry.

“I’m okay,” Bella nodded.

Draven then turned to me and hugged me tightly. “What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.

“I was just worried,” he whispered. Then, addressing everyone, he announced, “Anastasia and I are engaged, and in three weeks, we’ll be married.”

I glanced over at Elisa, who looked pale and sick, his expression a mix of despair and regret. His eyes met mine, filled with sadness as if he wanted to say something but held back. I could see the tears he was fighting to hide as I walked away with Draven, leaving him behind, lost in his thoughts.

Elisa silently lamented, *I love her. I was going to propose, but now it’s too late. She’s happy without me, and I can’t stand it. If only I had acted sooner…*

A tear slipped down his face as he watched me leave with the man I’d chosen over him.