chapter seven: Free will lost
878 Words
Rhea’s eyes fluttered open to the dim golden glow of the lanterns in her room. Her head throbbed as if she had been running through a storm, but the ache was nothing compared to the weight pressing down on her chest. She gasped for breath, her body feeling strangely warm, almost as though a fire had settled within her.
Hovering over her were Otheniel, his blue eyes filled with worry, the Goddess herself standing with her usual regal composure, and two fae adorned in robes of silver—Seers, their eyes swirling with a misty glow.
"Rhea," Otheniel breathed in relief, reaching out to touch her hand but stopping short when he felt the heat radiating from her skin.
"You were burning," the Goddess said softly, but there was something in her tone—something too careful, too measured. "Your body was radiating an intense light, hot enough to glow, but it harmed nothing around you."
Rhea sat up slowly, confusion swirling in her mind. "I—what happened? I remember the class. The images of the Dullahan… then…" Her voice trailed off as a shudder ran down her spine. "I saw it. The headless rider. It wasn’t just an image—it was real."
At her words, the Goddess’s usually calm expression faltered. She inhaled sharply, turning away as if to gather her thoughts.
One of the Seers stepped forward, his misty eyes narrowing as he observed her. "We tried to read your dreams, but something was shielding them from us. It was as if your mind was wrapped in a veil of ancient magic, one that does not belong to this realm."
The other Seer nodded. "Whatever you saw, it was not just a memory or a dream. It was a warning."
The Goddess, still facing away, exhaled and muttered under her breath. "Evil is coming."
A chill ran through the room at her words. Otheniel turned to her, his voice steady but urgent. "Mother, what does that mean?"
The Goddess finally turned back, her gaze unreadable. "It means the past is catching up to us."
### **The Theft in the Central Vault**
Far away from Rhea’s room, deep within the heart of the Goddess’s Palace, in a dimension separate from time and space, stood the **Central Vault**—a sacred chamber where the most powerful artifacts of the fae realm were kept, locked away from all but the Goddess herself.
Inside the vault, the walls shimmered with ancient runes, their light pulsating like a heartbeat. Floating in the vast chamber were relics of unimaginable power—blades that had never dulled, tomes filled with forbidden knowledge, and vials of liquid light. But at the very center stood a pedestal, atop which rested a single, glowing sphere—the **Orb of Free Will**.
The orb pulsed with an energy unlike any other artifact, for it was said to hold the power to **alter fate itself**. The ability to choose freely, beyond the designs of destiny, was something even the Goddess rarely interfered with. That was why the orb was sealed away, never to be touched.
Until now.
A shadow slithered through the chamber, its form shifting like liquid darkness, undulating unnaturally as it approached the pedestal. It did not walk—it drifted, whispering across the sacred ground, its presence causing the runes to flicker and dim.
The wards surrounding the orb flared to life, golden chains of divine energy wrapping around it like a prison. A hiss echoed through the chamber as the shadow extended a limb—no, not a limb, something more grotesque, a swirling tendril of pure void. It wrapped around the golden chains, and as it did, the runes on the walls **screamed** in protest, their light flickering violently.
But the shadow did not falter. Dark magic, older than the fae themselves, crackled through the air, clashing against the divine protection. The vault trembled, and with a deafening **snap**, the golden chains **shattered**.
The Orb of Free Will pulsed once more—then, with a sudden, unnatural silence, it **vanished** into the abyss.
The shadow withdrew as quickly as it had come, slithering back into the void just as alarms erupted across the Goddess’s Palace. But by then, it was too late.
The **Orb was gone**.
### **Back in Rhea’s Room**
The Goddess stood still, her gaze distant, her mind elsewhere. The weight of what had just transpired in the vault lingered heavily in her chest, but she said nothing of it to Rhea or Otheniel.
For now, this secret had to remain hers alone.
"Tell me more about what you saw, Rhea," she finally said, her voice composed once more.
Rhea swallowed, trying to steady her breath. "The Dullahan… it wasn’t just a vision. I was **there**. It was as if I was reliving a moment in time. The battle, the destruction—it felt real."
The Seers exchanged uneasy glances. Otheniel placed a reassuring hand on Rhea’s shoulder. "You’re safe now," he said, though even he seemed unsure of his words.
Rhea looked down at her hands, the lingering warmth still pulsing beneath her skin. "Am I?" she whispered.
The Goddess studied her carefully before answering. "For now."
But deep within, she knew—this was only the beginning.
- Writer
