ACROSS THE DEPTHS OF THE UNIVERSE

the ruined precious bond ..

***author's pov***

Zelerious appeared in his castle, materializing in the grand hall with Valeria cradled carefully in his arms. The dimly lit room flickered as shadows danced across the stone walls. His breath was heavy, his body aching from the battle, but it was Valeria’s state that concerned him the most. Blood still oozed from both their wounds—his arm and hers—an unsettling reminder of the bond that tied them together.

He laid her gently on the velvet-covered bed, her face pale and her breaths shallow. The blood on her arm, identical to his own wound, was slowly pooling beneath her, staining the pristine sheets. Zelerious's rage simmered beneath the surface, but his focus was now on Valeria.

The air around them crackled with dark energy as Zelerious knelt beside her, his hand hovering over the wound on her arm. He whispered a spell, one that would at least stop the bleeding. Black veins pulsed faintly under his skin as he channeled his energy into her, closing the gash with a faint shimmer of light.

But the bruises and marks were deeper than just physical—he could sense the toll the trial had taken on her body and soul. Zelerious’s eyes burned with a renewed intensity, his jaw clenched tightly. He knew Tharollin's taunt was more than just words. This bond between them made her vulnerable, and now her life was tied to his in a way that terrified him.

Zelerious stroked a strand of hair from Valeria's face, his touch surprisingly gentle for a man known for his darkness. "I will not let you suffer for me," he whispered, his voice barely audible, filled with guilt and determination. "I won’t lose you again. Not to anyone."

As he stood, his aura darkened, the atmosphere growing heavier. His eyes flashed dangerously. Tharollin had crossed a line, and Zelerious knew that while the bond made them both vulnerable, it also gave him something to fight for.

He would protect her, no matter what it took—even if he had to tear apart the very universe to do it.

Zelerious stood frozen, his gaze fixed on Valeria as if time itself had paused. His red eyes, which had blazed with anger and pain, slowly softened to the golden hue they always held when he was with her. He stared at her, not just seeing her present form, but every lifetime she had lived—the same woman, reborn through the ages. His Azura. His Elenora. And now, his Valeria.

No matter the lifetime, no matter the body she took, she was always the same—his fate, the heart he never thought he had until she came into his life. Her presence had tamed the darkest parts of him, the ruthless lord of the parallel universe who once bowed to no one. But for her, he would kneel. He had knelt.

Her eyes were closed now, her face pale and weak, yet Zelerious could still feel the power of her turquoise eyes—the three orbs that had once locked with his and brought him to his knees. Those eyes were his salvation, the light in the infinite darkness that had surrounded him for eons. They were the very essence of the bond that tied them together, unbreakable, no matter how many times fate tried to tear them apart.

Even now, as she lay fragile before him, he knew no force in the universe—no curse, no blade, no birth—could sever their connection. His soul was bound to hers, and nothing, not even death, could change that.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he knelt beside her once more, his fingers gently tracing the outline of her face. "You will always be mine, no matter how many lifetimes we live through," he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. "I will find you, protect you, and love you… in every life."

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, his once fiery rage now replaced with a quiet, unshakable resolve. She was his light, and no matter how many shadows tried to claim them, she would always lead him back.

Zelerious lay beside Valeria, his gaze fixed on her peaceful face as she rested. For the first time in centuries, the bed felt complete, as if the void that had haunted him for eons was finally filled. He sighed deeply, the weight of the ages pressing against his chest. Memories flooded his mind—centuries of pain, struggle, and the relentless pursuit of the one thing that had eluded him across lifetimes: her.

He remembered vividly the beginning, when both the universe and the parallel universe had been formed. Once, he had ruled them both—three kings united within him, sovereign of light, darkness, and everything in between. He was unstoppable, unmatched in power and control. But then, something catastrophic had happened, something so profound that it shattered the delicate balance and tore the universe from his grasp. The memory of that event was still hazy, cloaked in the shadows of time, but the result was undeniable: he had lost the universe, leaving him with dominion over the parallel realm—a mirror of what once was, but never the same.

He had searched for her, fought wars, and sacrificed everything to find her again, to restore what was broken. But fate had been cruel. She had been reborn, over and over, in different forms, yet always slipping through his fingers, her memory erased, leaving him to carry the weight of their bond alone. Each time, he brought her back, hoping that this time, she would remember him, that she would stay.

And now, she was here—his Valeria, lying beside him, after lifetimes of separation. His fingers gently brushed a lock of her hair away from her face, and he sighed again, this time with a deep, bittersweet relief. The bed that had once felt so empty was now whole, yet the scars of centuries remained.

"Do you remember?" he whispered, though he knew she couldn't hear him in her current state. "Do you remember when we ruled both worlds? When the stars themselves bowed to us?"

His eyes darkened as the memory of his downfall surfaced again, a bitter reminder of what had been taken from him. The power, the universe, and most painfully, her. But now, she was back. He had brought her back, just as he had promised himself he would.

"I will never let you slip away again," he vowed softly, his hand resting over hers. "No matter what it takes, you will stay this time."

The parallel universe, his dominion, was all that remained of his former glory. But with Valeria beside him, perhaps that was enough. For now, at least.