Vera did not know what had gotten into her.
All she knew was that she refused to just leave Azure behind. He was her mount and they had already gone through so many life and death situations together while fighting this war. He had always been by her side ever since they had first met. So how could she even think of leaving him now, when he was the one in trouble right now? Also, there was something in her gut that seemed to be pushing her to make this one reckless and suicidal move. She did not know what she would even accomplish with what she was doing. It was not like she could save Azure even if she tagged along with him. She knew that she had no attacking powers to fight like how Evie could. She had also seen the look in Queen Beatrice's face as they got separated and her heart was already filled with guilt. The queen, her mother-in-law, did everything that she could to protect her. Only for her to make this heartbreaking decision in the end. Vera was sure that Beatrice must be panicking right now.
But no matter what she thought about now, it was already a done deal. She and Azure were already being sucked in by the dark core. "I'm sorry..." she could only whisper apologetically as she remembered Evie and everyone's trustful faces.
It was so dark that she could not even see anything anymore. All she knew was that Azure had used his body to protect her. His massive bluish tinted wings were like a huge protective tent as she laid dependently on her dragon's chest, holding onto him as they were being dragged forward forcefully at an impossible speed.
"Gideon..." she called out helplessly, her quiet tears falling unseen in the deep darkness. "Where are you? Why aren't you here yet?"
Suddenly, Azure rammed and crashed into something solid – that Vera could only deduce it as being the ground. The impact was so strong that even Vera herself was thrown into the air from the force of the crash.
With a high-pitched yell, Vera free fell onto the ground, half-
expecting that the rather violent fall might even kill her. But she landed into something that felt like an incredibly thick layer of leather. Azure's wings had shot out and caught her by wrapping protectively around her before she could crash onto the ground. If she had hit the ground directly, she would have definitely died.
Gasping, Vera forced herself to her feet despite feeling the aches from the rough tumble. She knew that if not for Azure's save, the pain would have been more than she could bear.
"Azure? Are you okay? Please tell me that you're okay..." her voice was trembling a little as she scrambled in the pitch darkness, moving in the direction that she thought Azure would be in from the sounds.
To her extreme relief, a light suddenly appeared. It was Azure who was breathing out ice crystals before him, creating a white crystal field with bluish fire-like balls in its core that were creating a bluish glow in the pitch-black darkness.
Finally, being able to see Azure, Vera rushed tearfully over to her dragon's head and touched its snout. The dragon's wings were badly broken from the fall.
"I'll heal you..." Vera said, slightly panicking when Azure started to growl at her.
The dragon was forcing itself to rise as he looked behind Vera. There seemed to be something that was behind her.
Slowly, Vera looked over her shoulder. There really was something ahead of them! A silhouette of a...
Her eyes widened as she looked at the outline of the figure approaching them. Her heartbeat raced as she realized how familiar it was. There was only one thing in her thoughts at that moment. Gideon. Her beloved husband. He was here!! Was this the answer to her prayers?
Immediately rising to her feet, Vera carelessly ran towards the dark silhouette, ignoring Azure's distressed growl. She did not hear nor notice about anything else around her any longer. Her mind was fully focused on the possibility that it was her husband that was coming towards her.𝚏r𝘦e𝙬e𝑏n𝗼vel.𝒄om
"Gideon!" Vera called out. "Gideon?! Is that you? Please answer me!" her calls sounded more desperate the more she called out.
A gasp was torn from Vera's lips as something dark suddenly shot forward and wrapped around her, pulling her towards the dark silhouette.
Azure made a rumbling sound from his chest and a bigger crystal was created, illuminating their surroundings a little brighter, making Vera finally able to see the face of the silhouette that was now holding her captive.
Her heart stopped beating for a few moments as she felt the blood running through her veins slowed down as well.
"G-gid..." she uttered in trembling lips. "Gideon... it's really you..."
Silent tears fell copiously from Vera's eyes as she lifted both her trembling hands to touch his face, not caring about the tight hold of the dark magic that was still coiled around her. She did not care that Gideon's eyes were both completely pitch black and more terrifying than the deepest darkness.
12:04
He was shrouded with a thick and black miasma. His upper clothes had been torn and ripped apart, leaving only his trousers on him. His veins had turned completely black, and they had crept all over his body, looking as though someone had tattooed them on him deliberately. He looked like someone who had risen from the very depths of hell itself. What had happened to him?! Vera felt her heart ache so much as she saw how Gideon was so lifeless and had no reaction towards her. What was it that he had to endure since he had left her? Seeing him this way, Vera could guess that it was not only nothing good, but it must have even been a long string of horrible and nasty things to reduce him into this.
However, his magic was tightening its hold around her, making it harder and harder for her to breathe.
"It's me, Gid... Vera... your mate, your wife, can't you recognize me?"