Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) V.A. Lewis (feel good books to read .TXT) 📖

Aria smiled down at her daughter, and Melas knew it was a true smile.

"You were the first miracle that ever happened to me, and I never could imagine a world without you, my daughter. I thought I could always protect you, but I never could. Instead, you were the one who always protected me."

Melas tried to protest, but Aria did not let her. She hushed her daughter, bringing a single finger over her mouth, gently pressing it against her lips.

"You gave me the strength to live and gave me a reason to continue even when I had lost everything. You are everything to me, Melas, but now it is time for you to go."

Aria leaned forward and gently kissed her daughter.

"Thank you, Melas. I will always love you," spoke the mother softly, as she slowly got back up.

And then she turned and faced her fate. She heard a whimper and more crying from her daughter, but no words. There was nothing else to be said.

Melas cried and then ran. She cried as she ran into hell. As she ran past the violent storm of fire and fury. As the darkness bore down on her. But she was never consumed by the darkness, nor did the flames ever touch her. It stayed away from her, as her mother protected her in her death.

Melas ran, and ran, and ran. She ran away from the flames, away from the village, and away from this nightmare. And not once did Aria turn to face her daughter.

Aria was crying, and she did not let her daughter see her cry. She wanted her daughter’s last memory of her mother to be of a smiling woman. Happy to have been given a chance to redeem herself. Of a woman who loved her daughter and cared for her with her life. So she did not watch her daughter disappear.

But Aria knew when Melas was gone. And when she was, only then did she finally speak.

"You’re still alive."

"...how?"

The Saint shot a glare at the Fiend.

The woman took a second to compose herself and wipe away her tears. And then, she met Saint Theron’s gaze and smiled innocently at his contempt.

"Whatever could you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" snapped the Saint. "How could a heretic like you—"

He was abruptly cut off as a column of black flames crashed onto him. Golden fire fought back against the torrent from the hellish spell. But it was losing. Already, his armor was broken in a few places, and the mana crystal on his breastplate was falling apart.

Theron’s armor and his miracles were failing him. But it would take time. Time which Aria did not have.

Aria was going to die. But she was going to make the man who took everything away from her suffer before she did. She continued barraging him with fire as she spoke mockingly.

"There are many things you do not know, Saint. Many things that the Church lied to you about. Miracles do not belong only to people like you. It is something anyone can do. Anyone can perform. Like magic. You believe that the Goddess favors you and hates us, but that can not be further from the truth."

The man shouted something at her, but she ignored it. She did not care for what someone indoctrinated by the Church— by the Holy Xan Empire— had to say. So she spoke over him.

"The Goddess loves us all equally. She loves me just as much as she loves you. After all, she has gifted you with miracles to help you crush your enemies. And as for me—"

Aria gestured to herself.

"The Goddess gave me my daughter."

It was as if someone suddenly sewed the Saint’s mouth shut. He stopped shouting and stared at Aria. Truly stared at her. As if she was an actual person and not just some terrible Monster.

"Impossible," said the Saint as his eyes widened in disbelief.

Aria could not help but laugh at the look on his face. She stopped raining the black flames down on him as she met his gaze.

"It is the truth."

"You are lying!" shouted him, voice full of anger. "That child— she cannot be… she is not…"

He trailed off as Aria held his gaze. Slowly, she raised her arms up to her sides and spoke. Her final act. To protect her daughter once and for all. To fulfill her promise.

"She is the Child of the Goddess. She is Her Daughter. My daughter. And if you go after her— if you dare lay a hand on my Melas— you would be going against Her will, and you will forever suffer."

With that final warning, Aria collapsed.

The purple lines that ran across Aria’s body vanished. And the black flames dissipated into the air and light shone down on the Saint’s face. He was dumbstruck.

And Aria was dead.

***

I ran.

I did not know how long I ran for. Day turned into night, and the road into forest. I ran past trees and animals and Monsters, but I did not care if I got eaten. I ran, and ran, and ran until the pain in my legs disappeared. Until they bled with every step. Until I wanted to collapse and die.

But still, I ran.

Because that was the last thing my mom told me to do. She told me to leave, and so I did; I did not know where I was going, or where I was supposed to go. Only that maybe, if I listened to my mom, she would maybe somehow come back.

And as I ran, I never stopped crying. Tears stopped falling from my face, my ears stopped ringing, and my vision cleared up.

But still I could not see.

But still I could not hear.

But still I cried.

I did notice the sun set, nor did I