[: Daniel POV :]
Elos gazed at me with a mixture of wisdom and sorrow in his shadowy eyes.
“Knowing what Isis had done with her Saintess, then, it’ll make this easier,”
He said, his voice echoing through the ancient prison.
“Me and my brothers had rebelled, and we had lost. Now, we’re stuck inside this seal. There’s no chance of us getting out, and we had lost all hope.”
A heavy pause hung in the air, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
Elos’s gaze shifted, fixing on me with a glimmer of newfound optimism.
“But,”
He continued, a subtle smile forming on his shadowy features, “It seems like we have hope.”
The proposition hung in the air, a question that held the weight of my future outcome.
Elos looked directly into my eyes, his voice carrying a solemn yet hopeful tone. “Boy, do you want my power and strength?”
Without hesitation, I met Elos’s gaze, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
“Yes,” I replied, embracing the opportunity that could alter the course my future.
“You’re quite greedy, aren’t you?” he remarked, his smirk evident in his fading voice.
“I get that quite a lot,” I responded, maintaining my composure.
“Alright, since you want my power so much, then, here you go,” he declared.
The merging of our energies created an otherworldly display.
In the midst of this ethereal fusion, Elos, seizing the last moments of his existence, had a final request.
“Can you deliver me a last message to Isis?”
“I’ll do what I can,” I assured him.
“Tell her that I’m glad that I have met her, and I didn’t even regret meeting her once,” he conveyed his feelings.
“Alright, I’ll make sure to deliver that message,” I promised.
With a final sad smile, Elos uttered, “I’m glad…”
And then, he dissipated, leaving behind the echoes of his parting words in the ancient prison.
As Elos’s essence melded with mine, the sensation was surreal.
His fading laughter echoed through the emptiness of the ancient prison.
[: Congratulations, you have received the power from the Forbidden King Fruit :]
[: Congratulations, you have received the skill of Salvation (Mythic) :]
[: Salvation (Mythic) :]
– A being that gave salvation to all those who desire to be saved. The more he saved, the more powerful he’ll become –
Excitement pulsed through me as I embraced the newfound powers acquired from consuming the Forbidden King Fruit.
I could feel the energy surge within my body.
However, it seemed like the time had come and a few seconds later, my consciousness had returned to my body.
Upon returning, I was back in the room with Seraphina gazing directly to my eyes and I could sense the eagerness from her.
“How was it? Did you meet him?”
Her voice quivered, revealing a vulnerability that hinted at something beyond Seraphina’s usual demeanour.
I paused for a moment, sensing the subtle shifts in her tone and expression.
It was obvious that I wasn’t speaking to Seraphina at that moment.
Instead, it was Isis who had momentarily possessed her body.
An exact situation I had experienced before with Katie and Liviana.
Nevertheless, I was prepared for the divine presence that now spoke through Seraphina.
“Yes, I met Elos,” I replied, my voice steady.
“He shared briefly about his connection to the goddess Isis, and the reason that led to his confinement within the Forbidden King Fruit”
”Apart from all that, he had longed for someone”
Seraphina’s eyes, now reflecting the essence of Isis, held a mix of curiosity and sadness.
“Longed? Who did he long for?”
“He longed for Isis, someone that he wanted to meet at least once more,” I explained.
Upon hearing my words, tears began falling from her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice a mix of sorrow and regret.
“I wish I could have been there for you. If only I could turn back time and undo my mistakes.”
Her words carried the weight of genuine remorse, and a heavy silence settled in the room.
Seraphina’s hands trembled as she wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
”I’m sorry Elos” She kept apologising like a broken record.
“It’s not your fault,” I assured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Elos understood the circumstances, and he harboured no blame towards you.”
”But I could have done something. I could have saved him.”
The sadness in Seraphina’s eyes deepened.
“I…could have been there for him…I could have protected him”
Tears continued to fall, and Seraphina’s voice wavered as she spoke.
“I’ve failed him…”
Leaning down to her eye level, I gently cupped her face in my hands.
“You didn’t fail, Seraphina”
Her eyes met mine, searching for solace and reassurance. “But I could have done more.”
Seraphina’s shoulders trembled as sobs racked her body, her cries echoing in the confined space of the room.
The weight of her emotions seemed to darken the very air around her, casting a shadow over the once-serene atmosphere.
Her eyes, once vibrant with divine light, now seemed dimmed and clouded by the weight of her emotions.
I held her close, offering what comfort I could, but the depth of her grief seemed to intensify with every passing moment.
“Seraphina, it’s okay to feel this way. But don’t let it consume you.”
Gently brushing a strand of hair from her tear-streaked face, I murmured, “You did everything you could. Sometimes, circumstances are beyond our control.”
The room seemed to close in on us, the silence broken only by Seraphina’s inconsolable cries.
“Elos… he deserved better. And I failed him.”
“No, Seraphina,” I insisted, lifting her chin to meet my gaze. “You didn’t fail him. He loved you so much that he regretted not meeting you once more”
Seraphina’s tear-streaked face turned towards me, her eyes now darkened by an unsettling intensity.
The weight of her grief seemed to have taken a new form, twisting into something that bordered on madness.
“You’re now Elos,” she declared with an eerie calmness, her voice carrying an otherworldly resonance.
I furrowed my brow, trying to understand the sudden shift in her demeanour.
“Seraphina, I’m not Elos. I’m Daniel. You know that.”
Her gaze bore into mine, and in those darkened eyes, I could sense a conviction that sent a shiver down my spine.
“No, you’re him. I can feel his presence within you.”
I shook my head, denying the notion that I had somehow become Elos.
“Seraphina, I carry his essence, but that doesn’t mean I am him. We’re two distinct beings.”
Her laughter cut through the air, a haunting sound that echoed in the dimly lit room.
“You can’t fool me, Elos. I know your voice, your essence”
”It’s merged with Daniel’s, but you’re still there, combined with his shadows.”
I took a cautious step back, my concern deepening as her words painted a picture of a mind on the edge.
“Seraphina, please listen. I’m still Daniel. Elos may be a part of me, but I am not him.”
But she seemed beyond reason, her gaze unyielding.
“You’re trying to deceive me, but I see through it. The Forbidden King Fruit has brought him back, and you’re his successor.”
Desperation clawed at my chest as I grappled with how to reach her.
“Seraphina, I don’t want to see you like this”
”Elos is gone. What you’re feeling is the connection we share, not his return.”
Her eyes gleamed with a strange fervour as she took a step closer. “You’re him and that’s all matters”
I raised my hands in a gesture of both caution and plea. “Seraphina, don’t”
Before I could react, Seraphina raised her hands, and otherworldly energy pulsed around her.
It felt like the room itself responded to her emotions, distorting reality in unsettling ways.
“Serpahina, please!” I pleaded, but my words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
All of a sudden, a godly strength emanated from her, binding me in an ethereal restraint.
I felt the force of her will, a testament to the depth of her grief and sorrow.
Unable to break free, I could only watch as she approached, her eyes fixed on mine with a strange mix of sorrow and conviction.
As she neared, the invisible bonds tightened, leaving me immobile.
With a deliberate slowness, Seraphina placed her head against my chest, her embrace carrying an odd mixture of despair and comfort.
“Elos,” she whispered, her voice laced with a profound sadness.
I struggled against the ethereal restraints, my frustration growing.
“Seraphina, please, you’re not seeing clearly. I’m still Daniel. Elos is gone.”
But she remained steadfast, her grip unyielding.
“It doesn’t matter. Whether you’re Daniel or Elos, you carry his essence. That’s enough for me.”
Tears streamed down her face as she continued to hold me, finding solace in the belief that a part of Elos lived on within me.
“I couldn’t save him back then, but I won’t let go of this chance.”
“Seraphina,” I whispered, the weight of her grief becoming palpable.
“I understand your pain, but this isn’t the way. Elos found peace, and I need you to find it too.”
She shook her head, refusing to let go.
“You don’t understand. I lost him once, and I won’t lose him again.”