Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Hassha’s head shook as Korah swallowed down her emotions.
Yuri looked at the boy again before placing him back down. Stepping back, he raised his hands to produce a spark of red between his palms.
“I will make it my mission to keep Selah’s energy in this child at bay. Even if it takes two millenniums, I will hold. But with this power given to him, one of his reincarnations will be worthiest. I will make sure he is strong, a leader. He will be one who searches for the light, no matter how dark this world may become. He will be a product of the gifted creations in this world that have a beating heart. Mythic. Monarch. Tethered and Cold Tethered. This reincarnation will have no fear and will reach his greatest power when he’s fully bonded to his mate. She will help him reach the light he’s searched long and hard for to help him rinse away Selah’s darkness. And she will be his, just as you are mine, Hassha.”
The red spark grew in size as Hassha battled tears.
“When this worthy person arrives, meeting him will be inevitable for you both.” His eyes shifted from Hassha to Korah. “You will know it is me within him because I will unleash all the power I’ve carried to him. And when he is here, the time of Selah’s rest will come to an end because it will be his blood that wakes her. She will know he’s here too, and she will do everything in her power to make him come to her. This I cannot prevent, but to counter it, he will have the power to strip Selah of every ounce of energy and form it into his own. He will be the strongest being to rule Vakeeli, stronger than any Regal or god. He will be exactly what our world needs when we’re gone.”
The spark between Yuri’s hands formed into a star with four points and bathed the cottage red. He spread his hands apart and grunted as the light brightened.
“Find Selah,” Yuri wheezed as wafts of red spilled from his body. “Put her to rest and send her far away to a place where no commoner, Mythic, Council, or Gilded can reach her.”
A red double-edged knife appeared, and Korah set the twins down to lift her hand. The blade sliced the center of her palm, but she didn’t wince. She watched as droplets of her blood floated toward the star.
The knife moved to Hassha next, and she reluctantly opened her palm too, allowing the knife to slice. Her blood did the same as Korah’s, and in seconds, the wound was healed.
Their blood merged within Yuri’s star, and he studied it before speaking again. The color was fading from his skin, his face growing hollow.
Yuri gestured weakly to the dark-haired boy. “When Selah awakes, we know that she will not go down easy. That is when you must teach him everything you know about being a Regal.” He lifted the star higher in the air. “Let him know that his power is infinite. He is our chosen one, and he will be Vakeeli’s savior. Until then, enjoy your lives, Hassha and Korah. Find your peace. It is what you deserve.”
The cottage hummed with light, and Yuri’s skin paled even more. When he dropped his damp eyes to Hassha, he murmured, “I love you, my moon and stars.”
Korah appeared at her side and clutched her hand.
“I love you, my Crimson Warrior,” Hassha whispered. It was the first and only time her voice cracked.
With those words lingering in the air, Yuri stretched his arms higher and roared at the top of his lungs as he transferred all his energy into the star above. Blood dripped from his eyes and ears, and his cries of agony did not come to an end until the cottage rattled and the blinding light disappeared.
The children startled and a few of them cried, but all Hassha and Korah could do was watch as the only male Regal disappeared, leaving behind a floating star in the center of the cottage.
The Seed of Yuri.
Before her tears could fall, she hurried for the seed and held it in her hands. It was hot to the touch, and to avoid it burning the child, she blew on it. When it was cooled enough, she handed the seed to Korah so she could pick up the dark-haired child.
Cradling him in one arm, she scanned a hand over him to keep him rested, then she took the seed back and pressed it into his chest. The child cooed as the seed melted into his skin. Glowing red veins spread throughout his body. One of Hassha’s silver tears dripped onto his bare chest.
To this day, Hassha wasn’t sure why Yuri had made such a sacrifice for a child he hardly knew. For people who hunted them continuously, who disrespected them and tarnished their names; it made no sense to give up such power for them.