>>Amber

Einar chuckled very softly, "Hael is like my younger brother. In the original timeline Enya and I never got closer to Emrys. And Emrys grew up to be something..." He passed, "Not good." He let out a subtle soft sigh, "When I saw Hael I just felt an affinity towards him. I wanted to help him. I wanted him to get better, aside from helping Enya, I wanted Hael to be happy too."

***

I closed the door behind me as I left Einar's room, then took a deep breath and walked back to the living room.

When I entered the room, all three of them looked at me, "Oh!" Delphi smiled, "You're back, have some soup,"

"It's hot," Enya said, "It'll make you feel better."

I noticed the food they had on the table but I shook my head, "I'm okay," I said and then looked at Hael

"When are we leaving?" I asked

"If you're not going to eat, then right away." He came to me and held my hand, "Are you alright?" He whispered. I looked at him and nodded softly with a smile.

"I'm fine," I'm just overwhelmed. Talking with Einar reminded me of all the bad I had done to Hael. He may say he killed me for that and it's even, but I know I need some time for it all to settle in me.

And aside from that I am a bit nervous about the approaching winter- no, I glanced out the window. Winter is already here. It just hasn't gotten cold in the capital like it has here.

Now we have to fight The Bringer of Death.

"We're going to Persephone?' I asked

"We are, but not now." He said, "We'll make a trip back and depart tomorrow."

I gripped his hand tightly. I guess it's time for the final battle. I looked at the women, "Thank you for your hospitality." I smiled, "I hope we get to meet again."

They both gently smiled back at me.

"Yes," Enya nodded, "May we meet again." It was a blessing of sorts, a wish. A silent prayer where we all want Persephone to be taken care of and that Hael and I can return after we're done.

I waved at them and Hael used his magic to teleport us.

***

I came back to the cafe. Hael told me to eat and rest while he went to do stuff for himself. After work, I came back to my room but I couldn't sleep.

I was anxious.

I closed my eyes, 'Rosie?' I called her name. "You said you wanted to meet Einar," I whispered. After I woke up, I learned there was a way to bring Rosie's spirit out of me. Bringing her to the real world worked better for us rather than going into the subconscious and losing so much time. It wasn't possible before, but my near death experiences trigger something and now Rosie can come out of my body in her spirit form but only for a few minutes. She is attached to me after all.

'I did,' I heard her in my mind, 'But when he was in front of us, I couldn't bring myself to do it.'

"..."

I'm guessing she has a serious crush on Einar but she's well aware that neither of them are in the position to do anything about that.

I let out a sigh and turned to my side.

Light magic works against Persephone. Holy Power is known as the divine form of light magic because of the similarities between the both

...

Will my power Kill Persephone? She's not cursed like normal people, but she's the curse itself. It's ingrained in her entire being. But if killing her is the only way, I have to do it, don't I?

I don't have any other choice

***

>>Hael

"Hael," Deus said, "If you need it, go ahead." Deus and I talked to each other, "Use it"

I nodded, "If the need arises-" There was a knock on the door.

"Master Hael," A junior mage stood outside the room, "There is someone here who wants to meet you. She says she has something to give to you."

Hm?

***

"How did you keep the miasma out last time?" I asked as we both were ready to leave, "Light magic users and I who used Holy Power as a barrier around myself is different. How did you do it?"

He smiled, "I'll tell you later."

Hael came and stood beside me, his hand clasped tightly in mine as he prepared the spell. His magic surged between us, rippling through the air.

"Ready?" He asked, his voice steady.

I nodded, squeezing his hand tighter. "Let's end this." The winter chill was here and I knew it had to be done.

The familiar sensation of magic pulling us through space hit me hard, my stomach twisting as the world warped and bent. Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped.

We arrived.

My feet touched the ground of the rift, and the pressure hit me immediately. The miasma was thick, pressing against my Holy barrier like waves crashing against a cliff, relentless but unable to break through. The air was choking, a strange mix of heat and cold.

I scanned the horizon, my breath catching as I saw the miasma stretched out before us. Dark, swirling clouds hung overhead.

But just as I was still watching them around me, a heavy gust of wind blew past us, scattering the thick clouds for a moment. I knew what it was and it made my stomach churn,

The wind was gone as soon as it came and we both opened our eyes to look ahead.

And then, there she was.

Persephone sat in the center of the rift, towering over us.

?!?!

I noticed it immediately. Her long arms, once bound, were now free, resting on the ground beside her. The butterfly-winged hands that covered her eyes fluttered slightly, their silver-blue hue glowing faintly in the oppressive gloom. Her pale skin blended into the white of her dress, which clung to her form as she sat in the middle of the chaos.

I got unnerved seeing her sitting and grabbed Hael tightly.

"Her legs," He whispered and I looked down at them. Thick vines still sewed themselves deep into her legs, holding her down, but I could feel the strain—she was almost free.

The sight of her sent a chill through me. Even in chains, her presence filled the rift with an overwhelming weight, like standing in the eye of a storm. Hael, silent at my side, gripped his staff tighter, his fire flickering in response to the tension in the air.

Persephone turned her head slightly, the faintest smile curling on her lips as her wings stirred. "We meet again," she said, her voice celestial yet cold. It sent a shiver down my spine, like a melody from a dream you didn't want to remember.

I took a breath, forcing myself to step forward. "Persephone," I began, my voice stronger than I felt, "I won't dilly dally and get straight to the point."

"Hm?"

"You don't have to stay like this. I know you were cursed. You didn't ask for this, but you can be free from it."

For a moment, her expression didn't change. She sat there, silent, the weight of her gaze pressing down on me despite the hands covering her eyes.

"You speak of freedom as if you understand it," Persephone said, her voice calm, but there was a bitterness underneath. "But I know what you truly offer. It is not freedom—it is oblivion."

"No," I said, shaking my head, stepping closer. "Purification isn't death. It's—"

"Do not lie to me," She interrupted, her voice growing colder, harsher. "You think I don't know myself? That I do not understand what your 'purification' would do to me? I have been bound for 250 years, chained to this rift, cursed to rot in darkness. Purification will strip me of everything. It will kill me."

Her words hung heavy in the air. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her despair. "That's not true. You were human once, Persephone. You had a family, a life before all this. I can help you get back to that. You can be free from the curse without—"

"Without dying?" She finished for me, her voice laced with disbelief. She let out a soft, bitter laugh. "You think you can undo centuries of suffering with a touch of light? The curse is woven into my very being now. To 'purify' me would mean erasing what I've become. To return me to the weak, human shell I once was."

!?!

She might have retained her sanity but it seems the curse has affected her thinking

I clenched my fists, trying to find the right words, the words that would reach her. "You're not weak. The woman you were—she was strong. Strong enough to survive this. Strong enough to fight."

Persephone's wings twitched, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something in her—something close to doubt. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by a steely resolve. "And what would I return to?" She asked, her voice softening. "My family is gone. My home is dust. What purpose is there in becoming human again, if there is nothing left to return to? You call it freedom, but all I see is an end."

Her words hit me hard. She believed purification would kill her—erase everything that had happened to her, everything she had endured. But I couldn't believe that was the only way.

"There's more to this than just what you've lost," I said, my voice quieter now. "You don't have to carry this curse with you anymore. You don't have to stay bound to this rift, to this darkness. There's still a future for you."

Persephone's lips twisted into a sad smile. "You're so young," She murmured. "So naive. The woman I was—she is gone. What remains now is this." She gestured to her bound legs, to the cursed vines that still clung to her. "This is my fate. To destroy or be destroyed. And I have accepted that. You can do nothing for me since I am going to take myself out of this rift."

"And kill everyone?" I said

"Not everyone, the creatures of dark magic, are sure to survive the new world."

"A world filled with miasma?" I stepped closer to her, "A world with no sunshine?"

"I haven't seen sunshine in centuries. I don't need it." She chuckled, "What I do need though, is for you to be gone."

She pointed her hand towards me again and like last time, her nails elongated with lightning speed, aiming directly for my heart this time- No, in the split second I saw the attack, I knew she was aiming to blow open my torso