ACROSS THE DEPTHS OF THE UNIVERSE

*my queen*

***author's pov***

Zelerious, cradling Valeria's fragile form in his arms, felt a sudden shift in the air. A dark presence lingered at the doorway. Slowly, he looked up, and there stood Tharollin Steinberg, his yellow eyes gleaming with a menacing darkness. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Tharollin stepped forward, the smugness from before replaced with cold rage.

"Zelerious," Tharollin's voice was a low growl, the very sound of it vibrating with venom, "I didn't expect you so soon." His eyes flickered toward Valeria in Zelerious's arms, a twisted smirk playing on his lips. "You really think you can save her?"

Zelerious stood slowly, his grip on Valeria tightening. His own eyes darkened with fury, the air around them thickening with tension. "I’ll do more than save her," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I’ll make sure you regret everything you’ve done to her."

Tharollin scoffed, taking a step closer. His gaze bore into Zelerious, yellow eyes swirling with malice. "This was always the plan, wasn't it?" Tharollin's voice dripped with cruelty. "To break her spirit, to remind her of what she really is. And you, always too late, always too weak."

Zelerious's eyes flashed, the dark energy inside him crackling. "You won’t touch her again, Tharollin."

Tharollin's smirk faded, his jaw clenching as his eyes darkened further, now almost glowing against the dim light. "Touch her? Oh, Zelerious," he said coldly, "I’m the only one who knows her true destiny. And no matter how many times you try to protect her, she will always return to me."

Zelerious took a step forward, his gaze locked with Tharollin’s, daring him to come closer. His aura surged, the power radiating off him. "I won’t let you destroy her. Not again."

The two stood in silence, the tension thick, as their power swirled around them like a storm ready to break. Valeria lay still in Zelerious's arms, unaware of the brewing battle between the two forces, but her presence was at the center of their conflict. Each of them had a claim on her, but only one would leave this room victorious.

Zelerious’s growl reverberated through the chamber, shaking the very foundations of the room. His eyes blazed with fury, his dark aura intensifying as it swirled around him like a tempest. The air thickened, charged with the weight of his emotions, and the windows shattered under the pressure, sending shards of glass raining down.

"She is mine!" Zelerious roared, his voice filled with a possessive rage that sent shockwaves through the room. "She was born mine! She died mine! She was my queen, my Azura!" His chest heaved as he spoke, each word punctuated with the raw power that surged from within him, cracking the stone walls and sending a dark shadow across the floor.

Tharollin stood unfazed, but his yellow eyes flickered with something like hesitation for a brief moment. He hadn’t seen Zelerious this unhinged before, his dark power almost uncontrollable, fueled by a pain only someone who had lost his queen twice could understand.

"Your Azura?" Tharollin sneered, though there was a wary edge to his voice now. "She was never truly yours, Zelerious. She doesn’t even remember you. What claim do you have over her now?"

Zelerious’s eyes flashed dangerously, his aura expanding like a black flame, consuming everything in its path. The pain, the loss, and the betrayal he had carried for centuries all erupted in this moment. "She may not remember," he hissed, stepping toward Tharollin, "but her soul does. And I will make her remember."

Tharollin’s smirk faded entirely, his body tensing as Zelerious’s aura bore down on him. The pressure was suffocating, the very air vibrating with the force of his power. For the first time, Tharollin felt a flicker of doubt—Zelerious was far more dangerous than he anticipated.

Zelerious’s eyes, dark as the abyss, locked onto Tharollin. "I will not let you take her from me again. She is mine—forever."

The room trembled under the weight of Zelerious’s proclamation, and even the very fabric of reality seemed to waver as the two forces faced off, one desperate to reclaim what was lost, the other determined to keep it away.

Zelerious bent down, his rage barely contained, as he gently pressed his lips to Valeria’s forehead. It was a delicate act, a stark contrast to the seething fury radiating from him. But as soon as his lips touched her skin, something snapped inside him.

His eyes, once burning with molten gold, shifted to an ominous crimson, glowing with the intensity of a storm that had long been brewing. Dark veins surged across his face, creeping from his neck to the side of his face, like cracks in the surface of a blackened earth. The transformation was immediate and terrifying, his body now brimming with a power he had not unleashed in centuries.

Tharollin’s breath hitched in his throat, his own eyes widening in shock and fear. "This... This is that Zelerious..." he whispered to himself, backing away instinctively. Memories of legends flashed through his mind—the tales of Zelerious, the Dark Beast of the Parallel Universe, the one who had once reigned supreme with powers no force could rival.

In his previous life, Zelerious had been unstoppable, feared even by the gods. But after the eclipse curse had stripped him of his powers, Tharollin and the others had thought that part of him was forever lost.

But no... Tharollin's mind raced, fear rippling through his body. He’s regaining that strength... that terrible strength.

The sight before him was unimaginable. Zelerious, his dark energy seeping into the room, looked more dangerous than ever. Tharollin could feel it—a power that was far beyond anything he had anticipated. The very air around him seemed to tremble, warping under the crushing weight of Zelerious’s fury.

Tharollin trembled, taking a step back. His thoughts spun wildly. Who will save me now? He had underestimated this being, and now, there was no escape.

Zelerious straightened, his gaze locking onto Tharollin, eyes glowing like the deepest inferno. The dark veins pulsed with raw energy, his rage spilling over into the atmosphere.

"You thought you could take her from me," Zelerious growled, his voice dark and cold, filled with a malevolence that chilled Tharollin to his core. "But you’ve forgotten who I am, Tharollin. And now... you will pay for that mistake."

Tharollin’s heart raced, his body tensing as he realized there was no escaping this Zelerious—the one who had returned, stronger, darker, and more enraged than ever.