REBORN
1039 Words
CHAPTER BLURB.
DO YOU STILL LOVE ME?
"Sometimes, being alone is the best place to be. Value what you have while you still have it."
A frail, husky voice echoed in the mind of a young, handsome man, Emery.
Tears trailed down his pale cheeks as he clutched his bleeding stomach, his fingers trembling over the deep stab wound.
The sharp pain barely compared to the betrayal cutting through his heart.
“Don’t worry, Emery. At least you’re dying for the greater good.”
A chilling voice, laced with cruel amusement, spoke as its owner smiled down at him.
“Bastard…” The word barely escaped Emery’s lips, weak and ragged. His grip tightened around the arms of the very man he once called his lover, the man now trying to push him off the cliff’s edge.
“You should be careful with your words, Voss.” The voice hardened, a deadly glint flashing in those once-loving eyes.
“Oh? What now? Will you let me fall? Push me? I should have never believed your sweet, empty lies,” Emery spat bitterly, his body swaying dangerously over the abyss. “What happened to being my husband?”
A cruel chuckle. “Oh, right! You were never really mine, cheater!”
A sharp pang struck Emery’s chest, more painful than the blade buried in his flesh after shouting. He let out a broken laugh. “You did a great job deceiving me… But it’s fine. Maybe I deserve this pain. Maybe this is how karma works.”
With those final words, Emery Voss was shoved.
Emery’s body plummeted, his fall slow and weightless, almost like a dying leaf caught in the wind.
The world blurred around him, the cold night air slicing through his skin as death loomed closer.
"I can’t believe this is how it ends... All because of love."
Desperation flared in his fading consciousness.
"No... No, I don’t want to die like this."
A guttural scream tore from his throat.
"I want revenge! I want it!"
Then silence took place.
His body crashed against the jagged rocks below, and with one last breath, darkness swallowed him whole.
Then an evil chuckle took over the scene with thunderous lightning bolts.
********
“I breathe new life into you, son. You cannot die yet, you are the air, the rightful priest of the gods and goddesses. Awaken! I command you!”
An old man, clad in flowing white and gold robes, raised his golden staff high. His voice thundered through the heavens, and the sky answered in kind – lightning cracked, and the earth trembled beneath his divine summons.
But after moments of chaos, silence fell.
The old man’s face remained stoic, betraying no emotion. Yet beside him, a woman wept bitterly, her hands trembling as she gazed at the unmoving body of her son, laid upon the altar of the gods.
“He’s not waking up… He isn’t!” she sobbed, struggling to suppress the anguish rising in her chest. "What are we going to do? This news must not reach the emperor – or our enemies."
“Control yourself, woman!” her husband thundered, his sharp glare silencing her cries.
“Nothing will happen to our son. The gods will bring him back. They have to.”
Despite his commanding tone, his fists clenched at his sides.
Watching his wife cry in despair, powerless to ease her pain, only stoked the fury burning within him.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, closed his eyes, and began chanting an incantation.
His voice carried through the temple, weaving an ancient prayer into the very fabric of existence.
At that very moment, a brilliant light, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, burst forth. The air crackled with divine energy as a figure emerged from the radiance, a woman of ethereal beauty.
She was adorned with countless shimmering jewels, each gem reflecting the cosmos.
Her hair burned like living flames, cascading down her back, and her eyes, both blood-red and abyss-black, held the weight of eternity.
In her delicate hands, she carried a bouquet of breathtakingly rare flowers, their petals glowing with an otherworldly essence.
She walked forward with grace, her presence commanding reverence as she approached the lifeless body upon the altar.
Kneeling beside him, she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead, her touch igniting a flicker of warmth against his cold skin.
Then, with careful reverence, she placed the flowers upon his chest.
As if summoned by her divine presence, creatures of all kinds began to emerge from the shadows: beasts of legend, winged serpents, and spirits of the forest.
Each one carried offerings, golden fruits, fragrant blossoms, and precious gifts, laying them down in silent tribute.
Then, the woman’s voice resonated through the temple, powerful enough to shake the very earth beneath them.
“Adorn him in sacred garments and crown him as my heir—the next priest. He shall be clad in red and gold, the colors of fire and divinity. And let his ascension be sealed… with a sacrifice.”
As soon as the final word left her lips, the light flared, and she vanished, taking the creatures and their offerings with her, leaving only the scent of burning incense and the weight of her decree in the air.
The flowers resting on his chest slowly melted into his skin, their essence seeping into his heart.
For a brief moment, a final burst of radiant, rainbow-colored light illuminated the temple before vanishing into silence.
The priest let out a slow sigh of relief. It was done. His son would live.
But now, it was time to hunt down those responsible for bringing him to the brink of death.
Turning to his wife, he spoke with quiet authority.
“Summon the guards. Have them take him to his chambers, and see that the maids bathe and tend to him. I leave the rest in your hands, woman.”
A faint smile tugged at his lips before his figure disappeared into the shadows.
His wife, still wiping away her lingering tears, took a deep breath and nodded. It wasn’t over yet, she knew that and a smile appeared on her face.
- Writer
