Chapter 199: All...Over
Special Thanks To Jennifer_Goliah For The Gift {≥≈≤}
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Weak... Weak... Weak...
You are weak. A fool.
Even your own father betrayed you.
He destroyed everything.
Everything you love will be reduced to ash, just like this tree.
Hades clenched his head between his hands, his heart pounding violently in his chest. Everything around him blurred into indistinct shapes, figures moving about, mouths opening and closing but he couldn’t hear a single word. All that rang in his ears was the deafening thud of his own heartbeat.
His entire body trembled, overwhelmed by a storm of emotions. Anger, pain, guilt, and a suffocating sadness that dug deep into his heart. It weighed heavily on his soul, pressing down on him, choking the breath from his lungs.
He pulled his hands away from his head, lowering them slowly as he stared at his trembling fingers. A burning heat began to spread through them just as it did through his veins.
Clutching his chest, Hades gasped for air. Sweat coated his forehead and neck. His knees buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. He curled forward, one hand still pressed to his chest, the other gripping his hair in pain. His jaw tightened, teeth clenched, eyes squeezed shut.
His breathing became more erratic. The pain that surged through his body rocked him to his core, pulling a gasp from his lips. And yet, even as he suffered, he was painfully aware of what was happening to him.
He understood. He knew exactly what this was and he also knew he was powerless to stop it.
Perhaps... Zal had been right all along. He was truly weak.
No matter how fiercely he fought to defy fate, no matter how determined he was to forge a new path, everything still came crashing down to the one thing he tried so desperately to avoid.
All these centuries, he had believed he held control over his own life. He had always been confident about it. But now... now it was clear that it had all been an illusion, a false sense of security crafted by his own mind.
He had tried. The gods knew how hard he had tried. He had fought against the darkness within, against it all, but it had all been for nothing.
He had failed.
And worst of all, he now knew the depths of his father’s hatred. He had always believed Azazel despised him, but never..never in a million years would he have imagined his father would stoop so low, just to see him fall.
Azazel had known. He had known how much that tree meant to him, how much it had meant to Celeste. He knew, and still... he had destroyed it. The promise he made to Celeste had meant nothing. He had shattered everything for his own selfishness.
How ironic, that his own father would be his downfall.
He had been so determined to leave this world, even if it meant standing against his beloved. How tragic that everything had to come to this.
A sudden gust of strong wind burst from around him, spiraling outward. People nearby instinctively stepped back, their faces painted with a mix of amusement, confusion, and fear. Though his eyes were shut, Hades could still feel every presence around him, their movements, their fear, their energy.
He coughed violently, feeling the black veins spread across his skin. Slowly, relentlessly, he felt his control slipping away. His worst nightmare... was coming true.
He could feel himself sinking, deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness.
The pain intensified, excruciatingly and Hades was certain he might die from it. He wanted to scream, to call for help, to push himself up and away but his body refused to obey. He couldn’t move even a finger. It was as if he were no longer master of his own flesh.
He remained there, kneeling, his body wracked with pain as it coursed violently through his veins. His strength slipping out of his body.
Somehow, with immense effort, he managed to slowly open his eyes. His vision was blurred at first, everything swimming before him until the haze cleared and one image came sharply into focus.
Lilith.
Even across the distance between them, he could see her with perfect clarity. She was ethereal, so heartbreakingly beautiful. His beautiful Lilith. Dear gods, she was perfect.
It crushed what was left of his shattered soul to see her crying, her eyes locked onto his with grief and fear. She knew. He could see it in her eyes. She already understood what was happening to him.
He tried to smile, to reassure her but his lips refused to move. His body no longer responded to his will.
He would have given her the world and everything beyond. He wished she didn’t have to witness any of this, didn’t have to suffer because of him.
He cared about her... No, he was madly in love with her, more than he could ever say out loud. No words, not even the ones crafted by poets or the gods themselves, could ever express the depth of his love for her.
If only...If only he could tell her that. If only he could hold her once more. If only he had the time to love her more.
Fuck. Hades cursed silently, swallowing the knot rising in his throat. Everything hurt but nothing hurt more than his heart.
He let out a shaky breath as his consciousness began to fade. The edges of his vision darkened, eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. And just as the world dimmed and his body surrendered, the chaos around him grew clearer and just then, he could hear footsteps thundering towards him.
As his body swayed, Hades felt warm hands catch him before he could hit the ground. From her scent, he could tell it was Lilith. Oh, how he loved her smell, her hands wrapped around him.
His eyelids twitched as he fell unconscious.
The strong wind around him had calmed into a gentle breeze. Lilith held Hades by the shoulders, shaking him, ignoring how hot his skin felt against her palms.
"Hades! Hades! Please, open your eyes." Lilith pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks. She continued shaking him, but he didn’t even twitch in response.
Everyone watched them. Lucian, who stood a little farther away, looked defeated, his shoulders slumped, a single tear falling from his eye.
A flicker of hope crossed Lilith’s face when Hades groaned.
"Hades! Are you alright?" She gently pushed his head off her shoulder to look into his face. Black veins had spread across his skin, reaching up to his eyes.
"Are you awake?" Lilith murmured, watching as he lifted his hand to push his hair back from his face.
His eyes slowly opened, and Lilith’s hands dropped from his shoulders.
"We finally meet in person... Lilith."
Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Lilith crawled back, shaking her head in disbelief, her lips trembling at the sight in front of her.
"Ah, you don’t particularly look pleased to see me. How unfortunate." A slow, daunting smile stretched across his lips, giving him a menacing and frightening look.
Lilith tried to speak, but no words escaped her lips. Frozen, she couldn’t look away. She continued to stare at the man who was so familiar yet her worst fear, his eyes blazing red and utterly soulless.