Chapter 37: Chapter 37

"I love General Helios" The female had walked towards the very corner of the ballroom and clutched the commander's arm before declaring in an enriching voice filled with emotion. Not only Marianna rejected Duke Valentine without any explanations but had instead proposed another man infront of the entire empire. Just like that the ball had ended with many whispers in the background.

A loud crashing echoed in a silent chamber at the very corner of the duchy and multiple goblets filled with medicinal liquid shattered on the ground.

He was so tired of this.

"How long are you going to give in to their impudence?" Steps that were quiet eager to enter suddenly stopped outside the doors listening to the frustrated voices talking inside the room.

"You are in no position to raise a question about them, remember your place." It quieted down the murmurs and a long silence extended after the raged admonition.

"How long will A-no her name is now Layla, so how long will Layla live?"

"Not long now, just few days more."

"What about her child?" It made chills run down Marianna's spine who stood listening outside as if cold water was poured over her head.

"They also shall die-"

Chamber doors were pushed open furiously and apparitions resembling smoke figures that were talking disappeared after watching the wrathful azure irises.

"Marianna-"

"Who are you?!" A long sword was unsheathed and pushed dangerously against Helios's neck making droplets of blood dribble down.

"Let me explain-"

"No you monstrous devil! You cannot be Helios who conspires to kill my sister, who are you? What have you done to him?" There were tears gathered in her delicate eyes yet the anger and betrayal she felt far exceeded her pain and anguish.

"It cannot harm me." The sword pushed deeper and cut through his skin yet the cold smile on those lips made the female tremble.

"Its me Helios, it has always been me, it was your fault in loving me while unable to see my real face."

"How can you ruin the life of the person who treated you like his own brother, when Icarus knows....d-did you wish for the throne of Ardos?" Marianna's lips were trembling with the scarily disgusting words escaping her mouth yet she wanted to know what kind of beast did she fall prey to.

"Treated me like brother?" Bronze irises glittering in fire blazed splendidly at that moment as Helios held the tip of the sword with two fingers before breaking the weapon into half.

"I will give it to you." Helios looked at the woman infront of him and his chest constricted as if weighted by overwhelming pressure.

"The throne, even Everdale Ducal house, I will do what you tell me to, if you heal my sister...I will give you anything that you desire..."

It was that instance.

That one passing glance

Deep love intermingling with a hatred that ran even deeper

Marianna did not see it but Helios did.

She would sacrifice whatever he would ask and at the same time hate him.

A palm covered azure eyes that were glaring at him with a veil of unshed tears, he did not wish to see her looking at him like that.

"It is not me who betrayed them, its them who abandoned me, there is nothing in this world that you can give me for everything was given to you by me."

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Next is epilogue

When the world was created, the supreme god to emerge was God Narairis who ventured alone in the immortal realm for eons, not finding a place to either keep his mind at work or to rest, for both the concepts were foreign to him and he was alone until the god of darkness, Ayrm descended in the form of a sleeping dragon who refused to open his eyes for another tens of thousands of years.

While the dragon slept in the molten pits with his scales as hard as rocks and eyes darker than any red rubies God Narairis looked after him, fascinated with another thing that breathed it was initially a curiosity but accompanying one another in complete isolation for eons they formed an inseparable bond.

Ayrm's dragon scale changed with time, and in the process amours golden liquid- the blood of a god dribbled down his back and touched the ground for the first time and formed a small golden pool.

From this blood pool emerged the goddess of light Aria.

Sounds of laughter echoed in the magnificently decorated cavern and Narairis sat beside Aria holding her fragile hand gently but his eyes were dead and cold at that moment for he could not find the occasion joyous.

"I am with Ayrm's child." When Narairis turned his head away Aria asked with tears gathering in her eyes.

"Do you, the creator of all hate me for being an imperfect creation of yours?"

"Aria...how can I ever hate you...gods are forbidden to keep their children, how could you smile after knowing that you have given yourself a lifetime of pain. This child would not live, you must give it up."

"No!" He listened to her words and felt pain spreading in his heart.

"Narairis.if gods cannot have their own children then gods are imperfect and incomplete, It was a crime that I committed when I intermingled with Ayrm who was a Dragon and I, a fairy but it would be a much larger crime to give up and kill my child. I will never let anyone touch them."

"Then as your creator what shall I do?"Aria was silent for a long time before raising her stark violet irises to look at Narairis with a smile.

"Banish me to the mortal realm. "

He felt betrayed.

Ayrm was his first creation, his brother, his conscience.

Aria was his happiness, the light that was born from immense darkness.

But how blasphemous was it to say that they would leave immortality for a being that wasn't born yet.

That they could leave him behind and become a human.

"Arym said the same thing to me."

How hateful were they to make him curse them to a hellish life.

That day it was in the pantheon decided that Ayrm and Aria were expelled from godhead and shall venture as humans for one life.

"As soon as you give birth, you shall return back with Ayrm." The goddess of destiny asked the two to make an oath sealed with their blood.

"I, Ayrm lord of darkness shall abide by the oath to return to God Narairis after our child has been born on the mortal realm."

"I, Aria goddess of light shall abide by the oath to return to God Narairis after our child has been born on the mortal realm."

Years later they took birth as Illaria and Zyrm.

But they broke their promise for Arvaram, their son.

A child, completely mortal was born with great powers, and it turned out that his fate was bound to Narairis as his mate.

Humans could look at one another as male or female yet for gods who seek souls, only a soul connection was important. Narairis felt deep resentment to have such a connection with the being who took his people away thus he did not meet Arvaram in his first life.

After Ilaria's death they refused to return, Zyrm ventured for Ilaria's soul after her death and bound her from reaching immortality.

In the second birth as Layla and Icarus they were severely punished for their betrayal and could not meet one another. Arvaram took birth as Marianna, it was only then Narairis was unable to look at their misery and took an incarnation as Helios.

All conditions were fulfilled this time, Layla died and Icarus lived for Marianna.

Helios and Marianna married, had mortal children who died normal deaths with age thus his pact with Marianna was completed too.

He was free

Liberated to take away both Aria and Ayrm back with him.

But Narairis could not see them return with such sad fates, he did not make destiny but for the first and last time intervened with their fates going against the nature.

He gave Layla a rebirth.

A chance to live blissfully with Icarus.

He did not want her to have a child, for it was in her destiny to die when that happened thus he manipulated Icarus's food.

But alas, now he could not change anything.

Aria and Ayrm must return but then Marianna appeared with her bowed to him, just like all those who kneeled to him in his altar, like Layla had kneeled when she died in her previous life.

He hated the remembrance of all that.

They lived such tragic lives and for what? They gave up their happiness for their child and now she would give up hers for their wellbeing?

The oath must be fulfilled and he couldn't do anything.

His hand that was placed on Marianna's head stopped glowing and the pictures which depicted Helios as God Narairis stopped.

"Everthing is mine, what can you give me?" When the male turned around to leave, his cloak was clutched with stubborn fingers that refused to let go.

"I will leave my mortal life, will take up immortality, if you are a god and I am a mortal and your mate this transaction for their long happy life as a mortal shall be enough, give Layla her life back and I will instead accompany you to the immortal realm."

Note: In the first chapter God Narairis is introduced.

Layla died as a priestess in his temple in her previous life.