35 Aurelia's Vision

"Huh?"

Aurelia was lost, swallowed by a strange, winding maze. The air, thick and damp, carried the foul stench of rot — a sure sign she was deep underground.

With each step of her short legs, the sound echoed off the oppressive black walls, amplifying her isolation. Disoriented and utterly alone, she crept cautiously onward.

"Why am I seeing this?" she wondered, a phantom sense of déjà vu prickling at her mind. The memory remained just out of reach, no matter how hard she grasped for it.

The tunnel arched above, its ceiling carved from an eerie, light-devouring rock. Pausing, she took in her surroundings. The place resembled a dungeon, its darkness a physical weight pressing in on her.

Her only illumination came from the small ball of fire floating in her palm, her Empyrion spell. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her nerves, but a single bead of sweat still managed to trace a path down her forehead.

A deep, guttural growl shattered the silence.

Aurelia jolted, her head snapping up as her eyes darted through the gloom. The sound ricocheted off the walls, making its source impossible to pinpoint. Her heartbeat hammered against her ribs, each pulse a frantic drum in her ears.

Then, a shriek tore through the air directly behind her.

Terror seized her. Instinct took over, screaming at her to run. Her legs propelled her forward, a panicked cry escaping her lips as the relentless shuffling of something with more than two legs gave chase, closing in with terrifying speed.

Up ahead, a faint glow flickered. A corridor of light.

Fueled by adrenaline, she pushed past her exhaustion, dashing towards the warm, amber promise of safety. As she burst through the accessway, she squeezed her eyes shut, blinking against the sudden, brilliant light.

She stood in a vast, cavernous space. The rocky ceiling stretched ten metres high, towering over her. In the centre of the chamber stood an ancient, weathered red Torii gate, its worn surface whispering of forgotten history.

Before she could turn to face her pursuer, a forceful blow struck her from behind, sending her hurtling through the air.

She crashed onto the rough, abrasive floor with a sickening thud, tumbling sideways.

Her pink tunic tore, exposing scraped, raw skin. Pain, sharp and excruciating, flared as blood oozed from her wounds.

"Ow…" she whimpered, her small body trembling. She tried to push herself up, but a strange numbness was already spreading through her limbs.

A shadow fell over her.

A massive wolf, the size of a fully grown man, loosed a bone-chilling howl before lunging, its monstrous fangs aimed for her throat.

Tears streamed down Aurelia's face. Her body curled instinctively, small hands flying up to cover her head as sheer terror consumed her.

Then~

"AURELIA!"

A voice boomed across the cavern, halting the beast in its tracks.

Its massive paws twisted in mid-air, redirecting its ferocious momentum towards a new challenger.

A white-haired boy stood his ground, feet planted firmly, unfazed. He watched the creature's every move, his expression one of cold calculation.

The moment the beast lunged, he sprang aside with effortless agility.

The wolf collided with the ground, the impact forcing a gust of air from its lungs.

Without hesitation, he raised his arm. "Empyrion!" he commanded.

The air crackled with energy. Glyphs spiralled down his body, flowing through his arm and condensing at his fingertip into a small, dense orb of pulsating, fiery intensity.

"Fire!" he shouted.

A searing flame erupted from his palm, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting boom. The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling outwards, stirring the dust around them.

But his aim was slightly off. The attack merely grazed the beast's thick hide, singeing its fur rather than inflicting serious damage.

The wolf let out a deafening snarl, its eyes gleaming with demonic rage in the dim light. Saliva frothed at its mouth.

"Z'smite me!" the boy cursed under his breath, frustration lacing his tone as his stance shifted. The beast circled him warily, its movements suggesting an intelligence that could anticipate his own.

It stood a head taller than the thirteen-year-old boy, and yet, he remained firm.

He refused to let it reach the girl.

His red eyes flickered towards Aurelia, still sprawled on the ground. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he thought, No point worrying about her. If I don't take this thing down, we're both done for.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Raising his hand once more, he aimed at the beast. "Empyrion~fire!" he roared.

Nothing happened.

His breath hitched. "My mana is drained…!" he murmured, shock turning his face pale.

The beast sensed his hesitation.

Without warning, it sprang to the left, using the cavern wall to propel itself forward. It hurled its massive body at him with terrifying speed, fangs and claws glistening in the firelight.

The boy barely had time to react.

Jaws clamped down on his arm.

Pain exploded through him as he was thrown onto the cold, hard ground. The wolf's fangs tore into his flesh, gnawing through his guard. He gritted his teeth, suppressing a scream as agony surged through his twisted limb.

Five metres away, Aurelia watched in horror, her face ashen.

"ZETA!" she cried out, her trembling hands aimed at the beast.

"DO IT!" Zetius bellowed. "BURN IT!"

He shoved his broken arm deeper into the creature's jaws, stopping it from biting down further. The wolf snarled, a muffled growl vibrating through its throat as its fangs dug in, and fresh blood pooled onto the ground.

"But… but I'll burn you too!" Aurelia's voice wavered, hesitation paralysing her.

"DO IT!" Zetius roared, his body convulsing. His shoulder wrenched from its socket, sending another blinding wave of agony through him. "Aahhh!!"

He howled, but Aurelia remained frozen.

"Hades' hell, Aurelia!" Zetius screamed, his vision darkening at the edges as consciousness threatened to slip away. His breath grew shallow.

No.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself awake through sheer will.

"Empyrion…!" he chanted, his voice breaking from the strain.

The beast's throat began to glow.

A second later, an infernal blast erupted from within. The scorching flame shot outward, incinerating everything in its path.

A violent explosion tore through the cavern.

The creature let out one final, blood-curdling shriek before its massive body collapsed to the floor.

The air filled with the stench of smoke and charred flesh. Blood painted the ground in a deep, wet crimson.

The beast lay motionless.

Lifeless.

Zetius scrambled back, his breath ragged and shallow as blood dripped from his wounded arm. He lay on the cold floor, unable to properly gauge the extent of his injuries.

Aurelia rushed to his side, tears of guilt and regret welling in her red eyes.

"I'm sorry, Zeta! I'm so sorry!" she cried, her hands trembling above him. She was sobbing uncontrollably but fought to steady herself, preparing to cast a healing spell.

He swept his gaze over her, quickly assessing her condition, then reached out to clasp her quivering hands. "Aurelia… I'm glad you're okay," Zetius murmured, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Sniffling, she wiped at her teary eyes. "It's my fault. How could you not hate me?"

"I… I ignored Ignius's warning. I thought I could take on the beast alone and save the town," she babbled, her voice thick with self-loathing. "I was foolish… so foolish! Every time I try to do the right thing, I end up hurting the people I care about most. Just like today."

Instead of answering, Zetius lifted his bloodied palm to her damp cheek. "I could never hate you. You know that, right?" he reassured her.

His gentle words ignited a spark of determination in Aurelia.

She swallowed her weakness, forcing herself to focus. Taking a deep breath, she recited the incantation, "Iasis!"

A soft green glow illuminated the hall just as Friederich arrived, his footsteps echoing with urgency. He took in the sight before him — Zetius and Aurelia on the ground and the corpse of the monstrous beast beside them, its flesh gruesomely torn away.

Aurelia gently ran her fingers along Zetius's cheek as his silver head rested on her lap. She was so lost in the moment that she failed to notice their visitor until he spoke.

"Friederich! You're late!" Zetius greeted, waving weakly with his tattered sleeve.

Friederich gave a slow nod, but his gaze quickly snapped to Aurelia. "Aurelia! Your back, it's bleeding!" he exclaimed, rushing forward.

She glanced over her shoulder and chuckled. "Oh, this? It's just a scratch. You should've seen Zeta's arm earlier."

Zetius let out a soft laugh. "Aurelia, you should get that patched up," he said, his tone both teasing and firm.

With a deep exhale, Friederich performed a healing spell. The wound on Aurelia's back slowly sealed, leaving behind smooth, pale skin. He averted his eyes slightly, the sight of her exposed back bringing a faint blush to his cheeks.

"Thanks, Fried!" she said cheerfully, though the redness of her eyes and nose betrayed her earlier sobbing.

The three of them rose, and before long, they found their way out of the dungeon.

***

A quiet sob stirred her awake. Aurelia's eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of dark green irises.

Terissa Mercier, the Novitcius mage and clairvoyant, knelt beside her. Her hands clasped in prayer, her face streaked with tears.

"What's going on?" Aurelia blurted out, disoriented. She quickly realised she was inside a small room within the defence tower.

"Please forgive me, Princess Aurelia," Triss murmured, sniffing softly. "I was going to wake you, but… your vision was so moving," she explained, her voice velvety yet solemn.

"My vision? You saw that too?" Aurelia gasped, horror creeping into her expression.

Triss nodded. "Yes… I witnessed how Prince Zetius fought so courageously, despite his depleted mana. His courage was boundless as he protected you with his own flesh and blood," she said, her tone filled with admiration.

"W~Woah! That's so embarrassing! You saw me crying, too?" Aurelia wailed, covering her crimson face with her hands.

Triss gave a small, knowing smile. "Yes. Just as I weep now. But yours was more… petulant," she teased lightly. "I didn't just see your vision. I felt everything you did."

"Stop! Stop! Don't say another word, or I'll bury my face in the sand!" Aurelia shouted, mortified beyond reason.

Triss chuckled but relented. "As you wish, Princess." Rising gracefully, she added, "Please join us for breakfast when you're ready. I've left fresh clothes and towels by your bedside."

With that, she strode to the door and exited, closing it gently behind her.

Silence settled over the room. As Aurelia sat there, her thoughts drifted unwillingly back to the past.

Why am I thinking about this now? she wondered.

Why, Zetius… why did you leave me?

Her body trembled as the weight of memory pressed down on her.

Tears streamed down her face, and before she knew it, she had buried her head in the pillow, muffling her sobs.

The guilt from that fateful day came rushing back, a suffocating wave of regret.

"Pathetic," she muttered bitterly.

Not only had those feelings resurfaced, but so had the crushing self-loathing. The realisation struck her like a dagger — in five years, she hadn't changed at all.

Aurelia was still the same spoiled princess who once believed she could mend a broken world.

And without Zetius Zel Celerius, Aurelia Sol Solara was so much less.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.