YM778.TV Chapter 252: Who is your friend?
Their statuses were worlds apart, and yet, true to her stubborn nature, she persisted and finally proposed to him.
To my shock, he accepted her even though she was a commoner and she wouldn\'t have any position except a concubine, I continued to object, urging her not to follow him.
She grew angry at me and left without saying anything to me... Love is truly blind.
Due to my talent, I was the only one who awakened the Inferno Phoenix bloodline. My parents, driven by ambition, ruthlessly eliminated the remaining children and thrust me into the role of the head.
At that time, my parents were stronger than me, leaving me no choice but to comply with their wishes.
As time passed, I found myself forcibly entangled in the intricate web of politics, compelled to give birth to a child. My parents desired a hybrid between Frost and Inferno, leading to my marriage to an exiled man with a Frost Phoenix bloodline.
Just as they asked, I gave birth to a child....I was genuinely happy about my child; however, knowing the ruthlessness of my parents, I feared for her safety. Unwilling to subject her to the same fate, I carefully handed her over to that bastard.
Until I had power, I couldn\'t oppose or even contemplate killing my parents.
I tried to reach out to my long-lost friend, but she never answered my calls....Time passed. When my child reached seven and awakened, my parents were disappointed in her, finding nothing particularly special about her.
And again, they demanded I give birth. Controlling my unconditional anger, I got pregnant with another.
During my pregnancy, I received the news that shattered my world....
M-My Friend committed Suicide.
The stagnation I faced in my cultivation finally crumbled.....I ascended to the Emperor Realm.
I waited until I gave birth to my child, not wanting her to be entangled in the turmoil I was about to unleash... So, just like before, I handed her over to him.
On the next day, I killed my parents with my own hands and sought revenge against that Noble....
Who was none other than the King of the Dawn Kingdom, Lucian Dawn.
Even though I was stronger than him, I couldn\'t bring myself to end his life...
T-That jerk is shielded by a powerful entity, \'Sentinel\'.... I was utterly powerless".
Mariel recounted her story with an emotionless voice, reliving the painful chapters of her past.
"..." Eli listened to her story slowly and hugged her trembling body, his heart heavy with the weight of her tragic narrative.
He knew that no one truly understood another\'s pain. Mariel might have omitted certain details that could have swayed his feelings, but Eli grasped one undeniable truth: she had endured immense suffering.
She received no form of love, lost her only friend, took the lives of her parents and siblings, and faced the hatred of her own daughters, whom she desperately wanted to protect...
"You are truly a wonderful woman, Mariel. I am glad I took your hand" Eli said with a warm and gentle smile.
Mariel had expected pity or disgust for her ruthless actions, but Eli surprised her.
\'Drip, Drip\'
Her eyes welled up with tears, "My Love, I Love You"
"I Love you too, My Love," Eli replied, gently kissing her lips. The tender gesture eased Mariel\'s inner turmoil, and she continued her story after a few minutes.
"Frustration, anger, loss....these emotions controlled me. I ran through everything to gain any power, even if it was just a little. I wanted to kill that bastard...even at the cost of my life.
It was then I stumbled upon a torn piece of an old paper:
\'Ancient Resurrection Script\'
Suddenly, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and a H-hope blossomed in my heart. I-I yearned to see my friend\'s face again, to ask for forgiveness for letting her go a-al-alone. If I had just...just stopped her that time, s-she would be living a wonderful life.
With....with hope in my heart, I did everything to obtain the remaining torn piece, even gathering information about that hidden piece.
During this time, Scarlett asked for my help with Mia, who hadn\'t awakened and was going through a lot, but....I ignored her.
Hahaha....N-Not knowing that it was my last day being called \'Mom\'.
While I searched for the remaining piece, Sentinel, who rarely spoke with anyone, called me and warned against looking into the Resurrection Script.
Ignoring its warning, I organized a team to create chaos in Nex, entered the prison dungeon to retrieve the lost piece, and negotiated with Nex to acquire the piece they held. Everything seemed perfect and just about to grasp everything when.....it all fell apart.
The team I organized perished, the negotiation failed, and my house lost almost all its territories. My position as Duke was on the brink of collapse.
If not for Sentinel and my headmaid, I would have lost everything. With their support, I stabilized my house.
It was then that Sentinel told me about the Ancient Resurrection Script\'s true nature.
"It was cursed by Lucifer Dawn, whoever wanted to resurrect had to lose everything they held dear....even their own life"
And someone 1000s of years ago tried to revive someone dear to them while losing everything however what they resurrected was not something they wanted which was also the reason that Lucifer Dawn cursed the script and separated them then hid them"
Mariel\'s face revealed the dread she felt, contemplating the thought of losing everything. It wasn\'t about the house or wealth but....her daughters, who were more important than her life.
"..." Eli hugged her shivering body, realizing the weight of such a sacrifice. \'Lose everything they hold dear... ah\' he thought with blank eyes.
Mariel continued, "After that, I stopped searching for that thing and started to focus on my daughters.
During this period, Lucian approached me with the intent to marry, but I knew what that bastard was thinking, so I instantly refused, and this time Sentinel supported me. Yet, he kept pestering me, but not anything drastically.
Even more, he started to target my daughters. I don\'t want them to involve that man, so I engaged them to the son of the Dukes from the Theos Kingdom".
"I see..." Eli finally understood the immense burden she had been carrying all alone.
"That\'s why I am asking you to give it to me. I will throw it away as far as possible from us" Mariel pleaded, but Eli shook his head with a resolute expression.
"I am sorry" he said firmly.
Mariel bit her lips. She could sense that Eli was not grasping the core of the problem. The desire to use force on him crossed her mind, but the fear of making him hate her sent shivers down her spine....worse than the hatred from her own daughters.
With a soft voice, Eli asked, "Who is your friend?"
"....Aurora, Mother of Luna Dawn".
....
...
..
After an intense and revealing conversation with Mariel and some not-so-intense playing, Eli found himself back in his familiar surroundings at the Nex. The teleportation left a temporary disorientation, but Eli quickly adjusted.
"I am home!" Eli\'s voice echoed through the house as he materialized inside.
The immediate response was heartwarming. Scylla, Scarlett, and even Kitty Anna burst out of their room, embracing Eli in a flurry of excitement. His warm smile reflected the joy of being surrounded by his loved ones, although Mariel\'s pointed stare lingered in the background.
As the family settled down, Scylla shared details about the guest they had entertained the day before, and Kitty Anna, not one to miss out, demanded more affectionate pats from Eli, revelling in his warm embrace.
Meanwhile, Scarlett\'s deadly gaze bore into Mariel, silently demanding answers. Mariel skillfully avoided direct eye contact with her daughter as the guilt washed over her, however, a sly wink from Eli helped alleviate some of the guilt.
Scarlett sensed this and glared at Eli. Eli simply smiled at her. Scarlett understood her nightmare came with snorted with annoyance and anger. She then glanced at Mariel with intense hatred.
While Eli tries his best to calm his big sister, Mia in her dorm,
"Come on, Zera. Come out!!" Mia shouted at the closed door, as she held a key.
"..."
Silence prevailed.
"Zera!! It\'s fine, my brother won\'t make fun of you" Mia reassured, her voice carrying the echoes of understanding as if she knew already.
Mia inserted the key to unlock the door.
"..."
Unyielding silence.
"Zera!!" Mia, now frustrated, she wanted to open the door however controlling herself, she assumed Zera needed more time to cope with her self-imposed isolation. She reluctantly departed from the scene.
Within the confines of Zera\'s room, darkness enveloped everything,
\'Drip, Drip\'
A rhythmic dripping sound echoed in the room.
"Hmmm...?" Zera, a woman with dark black hair and piercing sky-blue eyes, drank from a packet of blood with evident distaste.
"Thack"
She discarded the blood packet with annoyance and a furious expression, venting her frustration, "Shit, Shit, Shit...Everything tastes like shit!!" The room resonated with her outburst.
"I don\'t like this shit!!" Zera shouted, her discontent echoing through the space. She stood up and surveyed her surroundings, finding every inch of the room covered in blood-stained packets, permeating the air with the metallic scent of iron.
"Smells like a shit!!"
"EVERYTHING IS SHIT!!"
Covering her nose, Zera entered the bathroom.
In the mirror, her own reflection stared back...a tired face, adorned with dark circles around her eyes, her body slightly leaning in fatigue.
\'Grrrrr...\'
Her stomach growled, a relentless reminder of the hunger she had been having from yesterday.
"Fuck!!"
Zera hadn\'t consumed any food since the haunting nightmare. While she desired to apologize to Eli and her mother for her previous behaviour....the thought of facing Eli again triggered hunger and an unquenchable thirst that made her tremble.
Uncertain about the changes within her, she decided to drink some blood to alleviate her thirst. However, the taste was unbearable--like consuming something repulsive \'shit\'.
She didn\'t like it....no, her body rejected any other blood to drink. Her mind fixated on the euphoric blood she had tasted before. Her tongue, throat, and entire body craved something more, something that would make her lose herself....a taste that would evoke happiness and pleasure.
"Asher Eli!!" Zera called out his name with blank eyes, the mere thought of sucking blood from his neck sending shivers down her legs as a transparent liquid flowed from them, her face turned bright red as she panted heavily while her hands slowly moved towards her lower half.