Chapter 490: Chapter 490: Choice has been made
Chapter 490 – Choice has been made
“Traveller, where were you?!” Pandora asked excitedly, running toward Kaden the moment he appeared alone in the Historian’s house, clinging her whole weight to his right arm and refusing to let go.
Few could understand the fright she had just gone through at the simple thought of Kaden no longer being there.
In that moment, Pandora had begun to think back on her life before he arrived. A life where she was overlooked, ignored, and set pletely apart as if she were a plague.
Thinking about that, the young girl had literally burst into tears, knowing she would be left alone again, with no one to play with her.
But none of it came to pass. Her tears dried then for the Traveller came back.
Even so, that brief experience had marked her pletely. And now…
“I will not leave your side!” She said with a determined expression, lips pressed into a line of pure conviction.
Kaden watched the scene with a wry smile, still unable to fully reconcile this version of Pandora with the one the village knew — their ultimate killer, the source of the curse.
In a sense she was also indirectly linked to his grandfather’s death, Raven having been consumed by the Curse of Sorrow given, without a doubt, by Vainglory himself.
‘He didn’t tell me that directly. But does he think I’m a fool?’ Kaden shook his head and decided not to dwell on it for now.
He began to stroke Pandora’s hair at the side of her head. She purred affectionately, like a cat finally receiving the attention it deserved.
‘And to think this little girl is the origin of the Thornspire bloodline.’ He thought with quiet wonder. ‘The first ancestor of Rea.’
Which meant, in a strange way, that the Thornspires were descendants of a Wonder.
‘That’s something incredible. Fairly certain it puts them above us Warborns, who only carry half our legacy. Ah, not even half.’
It was no surprise then that the Thornspires had a natural affinity for runes tied to sorrow and pain, something that made them deeply feared in Waverith.
‘However…’ his eyebrows knitted together. ‘That doesn’t explain why Rea specifically was chosen as the Vessel of Sorrow. I’m missing something. What does Rea have that makes her able to bear a goddess inside her without losing her mind?’
The answer came fast when his eyes settled on Pandora’s face who was smiling wide at him, cheeks still marked by dry tears.
It wasn’t the first time Kaden had noticed how much Rea and Pandora shared. White hair. Ruby-red eyes. The same expressions when happy, sad or annoyed.
They looked like the same person, separated only by the differences shaped by where they had been born and raised. Which explained Rea’s paler skin pared to Pandora, who had grown up among brown rock and heat.
At that realisation, Kaden’s eyes widened slightly as a sudden idea surfaced.
He took hold of Pandora’s shoulders with both hands and pushed her back gently until their eyes met.
The young girl went still, eyes flickering with confusion.
“Do you trust me, Pandora?” Kaden asked, no context given, his eyes burning with an intense light.
Pandora didn’t know what was happening. But the answer was all too obvious to her.
“Yes.” She nodded her head cutely. “Yes, I trust you, Traveller! I trust you the most!”
“Then I will need you to e with me inside the Church.” He said, knowing full well that Pandora had never once agreed to enter it, for reasons he hadn’t thought too deeply about at the time.
A child not interested in faith, he guessed, and he’d left it at that.
But now that he understood her true nature, he knew something was wrong. Something was at play.
And he knew he was right when Pandora’s face went pletely pale, colour leaving her like white garment being purified of every stain.
“No!” She yelled, shaking her head wildly, pletely aghast. “I cannot enter the Church, Traveller!”
“Why?” He pressed, hands still firm yet gentle on her shoulders. “Why can’t you?”
“I am not allowed.” She replied immediately, biting her lower lip.
“By whom?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t know, Traveller. But I can’t. I will be punished if I do. I… no, I can’t.”
The terror on her face was deep. Deeper than anything Kaden had expected. As if something inside her had been programmed to existentially fear it.
‘Woeful.’ Kaden clicked his tongue. ‘She is keeping Pandora away from the Church; where Rea is being held, transforming into something else entirely.’
He didn’t need to be a genius to understand that the Woeful didn’t want Pandora and Rea in the same place.
Which was exactly why…
“Well, Pandora,” Kaden smiled sadly, hardening his heart at the same time, “I’m afraid I can no longer be with you, if you won’t agree to e with me.”
The collapse on Pandora’s face was total. Fundamental, even. As if she had woken from a nightmare only to be thrown into one darker and grimmer. Kaden had to bite the inside of his cheek and clench his jaw hard to stop himself from folding under the guilt and shame.
He barely managed. But he had taken a path of no return. So he opened his mouth again, his voice rough.
“Choose, Pandora.” He said. “Choose between losing me, and ing inside with me.”
How ironic life was.
Not long ago Kaden was the one being broken by the burden of choice, his soul and mind shattered by the weight of not knowing which way to go.
He knew exactly how harrowing it was. How painful.
Yet here he stood — in front of a young girl guilty of nothing, innocent in the way only a child could be, ignorant of the cruelty of the world — presenting her two choices that would shatter her regardless of which one she made.
He was facing his own hypocrisy once again. And he was hating every second of it.
And still…
“Tell me your choice, Pandora.”
He had made his. It was her turn.
…
“YOU WILL REGRET THIS!” The golden fox, Lumy, screamed as she was hurled backward by Dain’s explosive fist connecting with her cheek.
Pain detonated across her left cheek. Her bones cracked and caved. Golden blood sprayed the air in a vicious arc.
Her back slammed into the wall of her own throne room, spiderwebs of cracks spreading outward in all directions.
She coughed, broken teeth spilling out, and barely managed to lift her head. The sight in front of her was hellish.
A wide ring of golden fire created by the Golden Griffin sealed the entire room, stopping anyone from the House of Gold from reaching her. The air shimmered as two suns blazed overhead, shining down with arrogant intensity.
“Let’s finish this before the other Houses bee aware.” Dain said, walking toward her, his entire body in flames, every step leaving a burning footprint behind him. His eyes were no longer quite eyes.
In his right hand was Ragnar — his massive battleaxe — its edge glowing with sinister, sharp lethality.
Lumy narrowed her eyes at him, then spat blood and broken teeth to the side. Her face had already begun to heal. She staggered upright slowly, knowing by now that words meant nothing to Dain anymore.
She didn’t know why, but the man was ready to fight her despite days of diplomatic effort.
And that meant one simple, dreadful thing.
“You just started a war.” She growled, clones of herself beginning to flicker into existence around her. “You just caused the deaths of millions—!”
“Are you ready?” Dain cut in, cracking his neck. “Because I am attacking.”
Even with the warning, Lumy barely managed to stop the chopping arc of Dain’s battleaxe from reaching her throat.
Blood gouged out. The Golden Fox shrieked with rage and counterattacked.
The battle officially began.
—End of Chapter 490—
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