02: Rebirth

Life was short, but in the most important days, life seemed longer than one could ever imagine. It can make days seemed years, seconds would feel like minutes and minutes seemed like days. However, in this case, every second seemed like hours.

From every corner of the Sacred Immortal World came the signs that the end was coming. The once alluring lands were no more than ashes, and charcoals. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt flesh and blood. The thick smoke hung in a haze that partially covered the giant, bloody sun. The world was now a colossal graveyard for all Immortal Beings. Their bodies laid among dandelions and peonies as their souls had long departed to walk with their ancestors.

Even the great ocean started evaporating at a rapid speed due to the magnitude of the sun's solar radiations. The skies were also barren. No winged creatures flew or sang as the oppressive heat shone down like the breath of hell.

oooOOooo

Somewhere in an underground arena, the Imperial Family gathered to discuss whoever was behind the terrible apocalypse.

"It has been exactly twelve hours already! Father, whether you like it or not, I will go and avenge mother! I am already strong enough to..."

"Atrocious!" a baritone voice cut whatever he had to say, "you are the only heir to my throne, and I will not endanger your life by sending you out there!"

Upon hearing this, the third occupant in the room immediately snapped his head towards his Emperor. "Calm down, Your Majesty. With our current situation, anger won't do us any good. And that goes to you too, Crown Prince." Stepping forward, an old commander bowed down before the two. Doing so, the mask covering his face fell flat to the cold floor, revealing a long jagged scar that snaked down the left of his neck. It was an odd mixture of pink and light yellow.

His long, silver beard also reached the dusty ground, but he did not care. He was more worried about their problems at hand. He also ignored the smell of dried blood on his large cape. He needed it to protect his body. Apart from being durable, it had the symbol of the Gargoyle Clan.

The emperor gave out a tired sigh upon hearing this. Normally, he would always keep his emotions under control, but after what happened, he finally snapped. "You are right, old friend." He then diverted his gaze to his son. "Now, tell me. What should I do with you, Callus?"

Upon realizing the hidden message on his father's words, the prince instantly knelt. "My deepest apology, father! I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. This prince deserves a punishment!"

Ignoring his son's drama, the emperor turned to his commander with a serious look. "Gallick, go and get everything ready. It is time to go for a hunt."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Without any second thoughts, the old war veteran walked away.

"Callus, prepare yourself. Sooner or later, you will know the feeling of staining your hands with the blood of traitors."

Seeing the look on his father's face, the young prince grinned. He was barely a three thousand years old and had yet to kill his first prey. Just the thought of it makes his adrenaline rush to the highest level. "Understood, Your Majesty." Bowing slightly, he turned towards the exit, leaving his father to his thoughts.

'I am coming for you, dear brother!'

oooOooo

A few miles away from the disaster, a man was carrying his pregnant wife as he dashed up the rocky mountain like a madman. It has only been a few hours, however, he could already hear his heart pounding on his ears. Beads of sweat flowed like a waterfall on his face. His lungs are on fire, thighs burning and breath came in small spurts: hot and rapid. His limbs are trembling in exhaustion. He wanted to rest, however, he did not have that kind of leisure at the moment.

"Darling?"

The man stopped as soon as he heard the soft voice of his wife. Looking down, he saw her smiling lovingly at him, but her emotions were not hidden on her innocent face. Her pain was evident in the crease of her lovely brow. Her eyes showed her soul. They were a deep pool of restless blue, an ocean of hopeless grief. As Alaric looked at her, he knew, all the beauty of nature could not even hope to compete with this simple thing: determination.

It was her strong will that turned her eyes into orbs of the brightest fire. In them, he knew that she would fight until her final breath for her love ones.

"What is it, sweetheart?" A forced smile etched on his face as he kept a calm guise. He already had a hunch of what she has to say.

Instead of answering, the woman stayed silent. She just kept on staring at him, memorizing every angle. Her husband had an imposing figure of 6 ft (1.83 m). A complexion fairer than any Immortal as well as a perfectly toned body. His silver hair was tousled which complimented his strong and well-defined facial features. His brows sloped downwards in a worried expression.

As soon as she saw his eyes, Miriella lets out a small smile. They were cold, yet mesmerizing shades of gray. Others would say that he had the coldest gaze, but it was only because the warmth was reserved for her. She then focused on his red lips. It was her favorite part of his face.

"Everything is going to be alright. I promise."

"Please, stop. I..."

She was abruptly stopped by a quick kiss.

"Let us take a short rest, shall we?" Alaric smiled, but his attempts on keeping a happy facade backfired when he felt some liquid sliding down his face.

He already knew the inevitable outcome, yet, he chose to ignore it. For now, his top priority was to get his wife and unborn child to safety. He was about to plop on the ground, when she suddenly reached for his face, wiping the tears with her soft hands.

"Thank you for everything." Miriella kept her smile as she fought to keep her burning eyes from tears. Just then, a strong gust of wind passed making her long, silky blonde hair swayed lazily around them.

"What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

"I could feel it. I am already at my limits."

"But..."

"You have to be strong. As soon as I gave birth, take our daughter and go."

The man remained silent. How he wished for a time turner, so he could go back and be a better husband. However, it was impossible.

"I love you so much, Miriella. Please don't leave me." It was all that he could say. He could already feel an icy wind choking the breath out of his lungs. Its brutal and sharp blasts pierced through all of his organs, and gripped his brain in its freezing claws. His heart constricted in its wake. Not sure if it should go on beating.

"I love you too, Alaric. I will never leave you. I will always be here with you, in your heart." Miriella could not help it anymore. She already felt the hot liquid rushed down her face, however, she stood her ground. She knew she had to be strong for her family.

Alaric was about to say something when a loud voice reverberated in the area.

"I saw them!"

The couple immediately turned when they heard a loud, buzzing sound that suddenly rang. Waves of bright light emerged from the mountains along with rare visual phenomena. Not a second later, a middle aged man walked out from within and stepped through the hills.

Each of his steps seemed to create a new phenomenon. The couple faintly heared the song of Phoenixes as if they were preaching the man. Nevertheless, he continued on without stopping.

Alaric's face turned serious when he saw his traitorous friend's entrance. He knew that the old General would never leave the Emperor's side unless necessary.

Sure enough, an immortal light shot up from the deepest location of the mountain. It soared all the way into the sky with rays flashing everywhere. Alaric narrowed his eyes when he saw the rays that slowly formed a golden, immortal crown.

It might be a spectacular scene, however, Alaric knew that it was bad news. The crown seemed to be illuminating the barren land.

As soon as the light disappeared, Alaric finally saw his furious nephew, Crown Prince Callus as well as his royal brother, the current Emperor.

Upon their arrival, he carefully set his wife to the ground before moving in front of her.

"You seemed to be in a hurry, older brother?" Stepping forward, the Emperor smirked as soon as he saw Alaric's condition. The man was full of dried blood and bruises all over his body.

"What more do you want, Elric? I already gave you my rights as Heavenly Emperor. Why must you do this to me?" Clenching his fists, Alaric readied himself for any attack. He won't go down without a fight.

Instead of answering, the emperor felt his blood rose as soon as his eyes landed on Miriella's baby bump. "What I want was none other than the life of your unborn child!"

"Don't you dare!" Alaric hissed. He won't let any harm befall his family, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

"Don't you understand, dear brother? You are in no position to threaten me. Besides, that thing was a monster! It was the fruit of your forbidden love with a..."

"Shut your filthy mouth! Don't take away what little respect I still have for you."

Elric immediately stepped back as soon as he saw the look on his elder brother's face. Cold sweat started to fall on his forehead. His body trembled slightly.

He would never forget that expression. It was the same as the one he saw tens of thousands of years ago when he was still young. A nightmare he buried deep within his mind.

"Insolence! You dared to speak nonsense in front of His Majesty. Father, someone was definitely tired of living. It seemed like I have to sharpen my blades! A mere firefly still dared to compete with the brilliance of the moon!"

Before anything could be said, Prince Callus immediately rushed towards Alaric. He concentrated almost all of his energy on his fists as he appeared in front of the older man. With a loud yell, he brought down his attack with a mighty strength. Upon impact, several chunks of earth and dust surrounded them causing all of them to close, and cover their eyes.

"Was that all you've got, Royal Uncle?" There was an obvious sarcasm on Callus' voice as he smirked evilly. He should have known that the man was weak.

"Get out of there!"

Before his mind could register his father's words, Callus felt an iron grip from his throat. His hands automatically moved to do something, but to no avail. His eyes widened as soon as the dust cleared.

"I should have done this a long time ago, my dearest nephew." Alaric smirked. If it wasn't for his brother, then he should have taught the kid some hard lessons.

"Let go of him!" The emperor felt a burning rage hissed through his body when he saw his only son being held on the neck. It was like a volcano waiting to explode. His wrath slowly engulfed his principles and destroys the boundaries of his moralities.

"Don't move or you would regret it!" It was a lie, of course. Even though Callus was ill-mannered and arrogant, he was still a part of his family.

Blinded by his anger, Elric prepared to battle, but Gallick stopped him. "Calm down, Your Majesty. Now is not the time. The precious vase might be broken while we chase the rat."

Before he could react, a loud and terrifying sound filled their realm. The sky suddenly opened, followed by millions of doves and pigeons. The atmosphere immediately darkened upon their arrival.

At the same time, a pained scream echoed throughout the area.

All of them turned to look at Miriella who was now on the ground with only a rock as her support.

"The baby's coming!"

Upon hearing this, Alaric felt his mind and body go numb. He was momentarily astonished by the recent turn of events. In their world, a dove and a pigeon symbolized the birth of a powerful deity, but millions of them! He does not know what to think at the moment.

He only snapped out of his trance when he heard the emperor's orders.

"Kill it, now!"

"Over my dead body!" Without any second thoughts, he threw Callus to the side as he sped off to fend his family.

"Alaric! It hurts!" m

Meanwhile, Miriella did not know what to think anymore. As soon as her labor began, it was more intense than anything she had ever imagined. Nothing would be more brutal than this. Not even the torment from getting stabbed multiple times could compare to this.

Soon enough, it became a prison in her mind as it slowly dulled all of her other senses. She could barely hear her own voice, or even the surrounding battle.

A few moments passed and cold sweat had already filled her face and body. With each contraction came an excruciating pain that dominated her entire being. There was nothing she could do, but wait for the agony to subdue.

She laid there for what seemed like an eternity. Soon enough, Miriella found herself on the brink of fainting. Her body was starting to give up as she had lost too much blood. "Alaric, I'm so tired!" Her vision was already failing her. She could only see blurs of images in front of her.

"Miriella, please! You're almost there! Just a little bit more!"

A tear slid from Miriella's eyes as she recalled her unconditional love for their precious child. Alaric was right. She could not give up now. With that in mind, she slowly gathered all of her remaining strength. Soon enough, she felt the baby's head as well as the brutal stretching of her thin flesh. She gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes. The pain was unbearable, but she knew she had to hold on. Breathing in, she let out a powerful grunt. With this, the baby was finally born.

Miriella immediately slumped back while catching her breath. It was as though her lower part was forcefully ripped out of her body. Seconds later, she was hit by the strong smell of her own blood and urine, but she ignored it.

She was too tired to move. Her energy was constantly drained out of her. She just wanted to lie down and give in to the darkness, however, she knew her daughter comes first. With trembling hands, she managed to reach to her newborn. Carefully cutting the umbilical cord with a small dagger that she brought for an emergency, Miriella proceeded to wrap her with a golden cloth.

"You are so beautiful, my baby girl!" As soon as she saw her child, it was as if the realm was ushered into a perfect harmony. All of her physical pain was worth it. She was like a beam of light to her soul. Just then, tears began forming in her eyes, and in that moment, she knew that she would do anything to protect her.

Not any second later, all the birds flew on a circular motion. Their vast numbers created a mini maelstrom as they sang happily. It was as though congratulating the new parents.

The battle between Alaric, Gallick and the Emperor also came to a halt as soon as the first cry of a newborn hits their ears. They immediately snapped their heads towards the new mother.

"No! That thing must be killed! It must not walk with the living!"

Before they could do anything, Miriella suddenly screamed. "Alaric, go! Now!" She already made up her mind. She had to do this for her family. Her body had already reached its limit. It won't be long before she walks with her ancestors, but she didn't regret anything. She was a mother and would always be.

'Forgive me. I love you!’

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