Page 179 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Blinding violet light burst from inside of us. The force of our dynamis spread miles wide. With immense delight, I watched from above as the horde of beasts fell. Our dynamis washed over them like a wave, and all at once my body felt entirely drained. My view began to blur as we began our rapid descent back towards the ground.
“We did it, my love.”Lena’s gentle voice caressed my mind.
“I’ll see you soon, Wildfire.”
Her smile was the last image I saw before our bodies slammed into the ground for the final time.
Excruciating pain was what I had expected. Instead, all that flowed through me now was the feeling of endless love and peace. My eyelids fluttered closed, and the world around me faded away.
Chapter 75
Elena
“Wake, Elena! Wake!”
My lashes fluttered as I tried to open my eyes. I struggled to pull myself from my nightmares, just like I had done for the past twenty-three years of my life.
However, something was vastly different about this nightmare. No images played inside my mind, just an endless void of black. Everything felt light, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t feel the weight of my limbs. It was like my mind was present, but my body wasn’t. Panic began to swell in my mind, just as a flash of light swirled in front of me.
A tiny golden orb of light fluttered before me. As it danced around, my eyes followed, and as it moved forward, I followed. With each forward movement, the orb grew, becoming more radiant against the void. I continued to follow the orb as it guided me out of the darkness.
The golden glow eventually grew so big that it was larger than me. It no longer made any more movements, and even though I still struggled to feel my body, a prickling awareness urged me to continue forward. Giving in to the pull, I walked into the light.
A rush of heat flooded my body, and the sudden weight of my limbs almost took my breath away. The beat of my heart echoedinside my ears, at the same moment a tug pulled against it. A bond…ourbond.Declan.
“Love, open your eyes.”
Emotions flooded my body as I opened my heavy lids. I was met with the most hypnotizing view. Chestnut tendrils of hair fell across an enchanting pair of verdant eyes. A shiver rushed down my spine. I could feel a warm palm wrapped around my shoulder, and another cupping my cheek.
Alive.
We were alive. Raw emotion spilled out of me, trickling down my cheeks, as Declan swiped the tears away with his thumb. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to my lips. The brush of his lips against mine acted like dynamis inside my soul, rousing me into full awareness. When he pulled back, my eyes were finally able to roam over the environment we now found ourselves in.
Petals brushed my legs as I realized I was lying in a field of endless wildflowers. It felt like Ehora, but more… ethereal.
Pink clouds spotted the blue sky above us, and a warm breeze whistled between the branches of the pine trees surrounding us. A violet haze filtered over everything. Soft material brushed against my fingertips as I glanced down to see my attire had changed to a flowy white dress.
Declan’s attire had changed as well. He wore black fitted pants and a black shirt that clung to his arms and the muscles of his chest, unlike the normal flow of a tunic. I was wide-eyed and my mouth slightly agape. He engulfed the sides of my face with his palms, forcing my gaze back to meet him.
“Ready to meet the gods?”
“Wh-what?” One stuttered word was all I was able to muster.
“Come along, you two.” A familiar voice fluttered across the breeze.
My entire body stilled as the voice that pulled me out of every nightmare suddenly had a physical form attached to it, one thatI’d seen once before, during my Ascension ceremony. The inside of my mouth became dry as I breathlessly forced the words out. “You’re her.”
A smile spread across her face as wisps of her long, white-blonde hair fluttered in the wind. With a breathy laugh she spoke. “Yes, I’m she.” She motioned for us to follow her. Declan wrapped his strong arms around me, pulled me onto my feet and steadied me as I wobbled. “Let’s go, you two. We don’t have much time together, and we have entirely too much to tell you both before you return.” She turned around and continued walking into the woods.
Before we return?
Declan interlaced his fingers in mine, giving them a squeeze of reassurance. Together, we walked hand in hand to whoever awaited us on the other side.
The sight before me was nothing that I expected. We had followed the goddess through the forest and into another small clearing where we approached what looked like stone ruins of some sort. A small group of others dressed like Declan and I were sprinkled about the ruins. Some were clad in black like Dec, others in white like me.
So many questions swirled within me as we approached the group, and the goddess motioned for us to take a seat on one of the crumbled stones.
All at once, I felt the heaviness of several eyes on us. I shifted uncomfortably on the stone. Declan rubbed a soothing hand across my thigh.
