*Noah*
My concern for Zara only grew during the few days I had essentially ordered her to pause her duties for the Celestial Valley mbers. I could tell that she was under a great deal of stress due to her new responsibilities. She was so important to these people, and they were her mother’s people. It was only natural that she would be under a great deal of pressure.
I felt helpless to do anything as I watched her strain beneath the weight of her various duties and expectations. I was grateful that the Celestial Valley people were genuinely kind and already loved Zara wholly and unconditionally.
On the final day of her mini vacation, Zara and I decided to spend a quiet day at ho, bonding with Briella, who seed to be growing so quickly. She was a happy baby, constantly smiling when we made eye contact with her or were playing with her. She started to laugh much more often, which brought Zara and great joy.
We were on the floor where Briella was playing with so toys. She gripped a wooden block, nibbling lightly on one of the rounded corners.
Zara laughed but put her hand on the block so that she could lower it away from Briella’s mouth. “You shouldn’t put your mouth on that, silly girl. It’s not food.”
I chuckled lightly, but then my eyebrows rose at what I witnessed next.
Zara traced her finger lightly along Briella’s cheek as she often did to coax a smile out of our little girl. As soon as Zara started to reach toward her face, Briella tightened her tiny lips and recoiled from her mother’s gentle touch. I thought perhaps it was just a mini tantrum about to flare up, but Briella’s dark blue eyes looked almost apprehensive.
That was unusual.
I felt unease growing steadily in as I thought of Zara’s strange behavior over the past few weeks. I had dismissed it as stress due to her new role as priestess, but I was starting to wonder if it was more than that. There was sothing else going on, and I had a feeling that it wasn’t good.
I started to discreetly observe my mate interacting with other tribespeople. One day, we decided to venture into town to gather so supplies from the market square, a bustling and lively plaza filled with booths selling fruits and other goods.
“Hello, Sia,” Zara said in greeting to one of the won close to our age.
Sia blinked her round brown eyes at my mate. I didn’t miss the grimace that twisted one corner of her mouth before she lowered her head politely and hurried on her way.
I felt my eyebrows furrow as I held Zara’s hand as we perused the shops. There were several other interactions similar to the first, and it only caused worry to flare up in . I was confused as to what was going on.
“There’s Amara’s daughter,” I heard soone whisper.
Zara was so engrossed in looking at so fruit that she didn’t appear to notice the conversation I had happened to zero in on among the buzz of interactions happening around us.
“She’s supposed to bring us priceless knowledge and traditions, but I’ve heard she’s beginning to fall off the rails,” her companion murmured back in a hushed voice.
I held back a growl. What was that supposed to an?
“Did you hear what happened during the passing of the celestial orb? She had a breakdown and has been snapping at people ever since.”
“Maybe we should steer clear of her for a while.”
“That might be a good idea.”
“Let’s go this way, Zara,” I said, grabbing my mate’s hand and pulling her away from the stand. I couldn’t listen to those won anymore.
I felt protective of Zara, wanting to shield her from the cruel things people seed to be whispering as they passed, but it wasn’t just the gossipy won who were saying strange things about Zara. It seed to be every person we passed would either say sothing to their companion or give Zara an almost weary look.
I was anxious when the day of the annual harvest festival ca. Zara was expected to lead the community through a series of joyous songs. My mate seed worried as if she expected sothing bad to happen.
I watched as Zara stepped onstage. Everything seed to be going well. She opened the harvest with a moving speech about the love the community had for one another and optimism for the road ahead. Suddenly, Zara cried out in pain, clutching her head and dropping to her knees. I rushed to her, gripping her shoulders, and recoiled when I felt a strange energy.
It almost felt like a shadow was encasing Zara’s small form. Before we could carry her off to a healer, she recovered, and the festival comnced.
Since then, the peace and harmony of tribal life had gradually eroded despite my mate’s efforts at redoubling purification tactics. I watched helplessly as Zara tirelessly went from one cleansing ceremony to the next, desperately trying to reassure the people that everything was alright.
Several days had passed. Zara began to be tornted by nightmares that left her screaming in the middle of the night.
“Shh, it’s alright,” I murmured to her after a particularly grueling episode. “Please talk to , Zara. What are these nightmares about?”
I had asked that question nightly since they started days earlier. Zara was so distraught that she could barely get a single word out through her sobs. Finally, after well over a week straight of these recurring torturous dreams, Zara was able to utter a single word. It was a word that imdiately sent a mixture of anger and fear through .
“Malphas.”
I felt my chest tighten with devastation as my mind finally started to put together the plethora of strange occurrences since our arrival in Celestial Valley. Lately, Zara had been avoiding mirrors. It wasn’t until very recently I realized it was because of the strange way her eyes started to change to an icy blue color. It only happened when she looked at her reflection.
It was all starting to make terrifying sense.
Malphas’ possessive darkness still festered within Zara. It was the only explanation when considering the way everyone seed to be avoiding Zara, including our own baby girl. That along with the nightmares made it abundantly clear sothing was wrong.
It was the middle of the night, but I called Niva, asking her to watch over Zara and Briella while I went to consult the tribal elders for a solution.
I stood before the council in a brightly lit and extravagant throne room where I stood before the line of robed elders. “Please,” I pleaded once I was done explaining Zara’s strange behaviors and the very real possibility that it was Malphas’ darkness that continued to haunt her.
The elders looked extrely grim and troubled as they glanced at one another. Finally, it was Mathias who spoke, his voice low and serious. “Throughout our history, it has beco apparent that defeating a demon through darkness instead of light always results in disastrous consequences.”
Fear gripped like a vice. Zara spent months with the demon sorcerer. Of course, he would have found a way to instill darkness into her. I cursed at myself for not having predicted this sooner. Maybe it wouldn’t have gotten so bad. Zara seed mostly fine when we first arrived.
An insistent little voice in my head kept telling she could have been hiding it from .
“What kind of consequences?” I demanded, trying and imdiately failing to keep my voice level.
Matias sighed heavily, suddenly looking even older than he already did with his deep wrinkles and snowy white hair. “A fragnt of the demon lord’s evil essence has likely implanted itself in young Zara’s soul.” His powerful voice trembled very slightly at the end. I couldn’t bla him. I knew he viewed Zara as a daughter of sorts. She had been the light of this land up until recently.
“What can we do?” I asked desperately.
Mathias hesitated. “Well, there does exist an obscure purification ritual. It is able to cleanse and excise darkness from fallen priestesses.”
“Let’s do it,” I said at once, wondering why the old man was even hesitating when Zara’s soul was at stake.
Mathias shook his head slowly. “It is not that simple, I’m afraid,” he said regretfully. “The success depends largely upon a forr mate drawing the corrupt soul back from the shadowy depths through cleansing love.”
“I am more than capable of doing so,” I growled with conviction. “Zara and I have confird that our mate bond is extrely powerful. I’m certain that I will not fail.”
Mathias stood from his throne. “Then we shall ready preparations at once,” he said, and the other elders stood in turn. He pinned with a hard look. “You should know that Zara will lose her powers permanently once the ritual is completed.”
After thanking the elders, I raced back to our little house. Niva had Zara in a plush chair in the sitting room, each of them with a hot cup of tea. Zara’s slim hands were visibly shaking as she held her drink. Her bright green eyes rounded when I entered.
“Niva, thank you so much for coming in the middle of the night for my family,” I said, a little breathlessly since I had rushed to return to my mate.
Niva looked between us, imdiately sensing the tension. “Of course,” she said with compassion. She turned to Zara. “Take care of yourself,” she ordered before taking her leave.
Zara looked up at apprehensively once her forr ntor was gone. “What did the elders say?”
I just stared at her for a mont, unable to think of anything else other than the fact that she looked so small and vulnerable in that large plush chair. She had lost weight since our arrival, her slim shoulders protruding a bit through the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
I sighed heavily and took the steaming cup from her so I could set it on a nearby table. I kneeled in front of her so I could grasp her hands and look into her eyes, hoping she could feel and see my devotion to her. “They’ve confird that Malphas likely left a fragnt of his dark essence in your soul.”
Zara didn’t look surprised, but her lower lip quivered.
“There’s a purification ritual that has the power to extract it,” I said, squeezing her hands reassuringly.
“Let’s do it,” Zara said imdiately, her eyes lighting up with hope.
“I believe we should,” I said with a sharp nod. “But there is sothing you should know before we go through with it. Once it’s completed, you will lose your powers for good.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing internally that there would be so kind of price to pay. It pained to lose the one thing I believed made unique and useful, but I couldn’t keep living like this. I didn’t want to lose the precious mories and powers that my mother left for either, but I had to do this for and my family.
Besides, I deserved a lot worse for allowing Malphas to taint .
“Losing my mystical gifts is a small price to pay if it ans that I will get the chance to make myself whole again,” I said with conviction.
I knew I was making the right choice. My heart ached to know that Briella feared now, even if just slightly. I could not stand that any longer. I had to do this for and my child.
Noah nodded. I could see the hope forming in his eyes. “I vow to anchor your spirit back from darkness, Zara,” he said. “We have a bond like no other, and I have no doubt that as long we are together, we can succeed through our eternal love.”
My throat tightened at his words, but I managed a small smile.
There was no turning back now.
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