Chapter 402: The Beginning Of His End (Part 2)

Aselia’s eyes were glued to the stake in her hand while Phantom remarked:

"You have always been the soft one Xiran, too soft and not fit for a leader. Xifin lacked the power and Irlana was a big disappointment. But dont think my legacy will end here. I will leave you with a surprise."

He smiled with evil intent as his hand reached out to Xiran while the latter thought he was about to hurt him, the former only wanted to touch him. Xiran cringed from the contact.

"What surprise?" Xiran jolted him, holding onto his collar. Confusion made his eyebrows borrow, making a ridge over his astonished eyes. His lips stretched back revealing his pearly teeth which were set together in extreme anger.

"I think it’s time you fulfil that prophecy little elf,"

his eyes darted to Aselia who was holding that spear in an attacking position ready to end him. Screams of her parents were echoing in her brain.

"What prophecy? Wait! Tell me what have you done?" Xiran demanded, raising his other hand towards Aselia requesting her to wait. Aselia’s patience was dwindling.

"Isn’t it obvious Xiran, he has run out of options and he has nowhere to run. He is just trying to plant doubt and fear in your heart. So even when he is gone we won’t be free, we will have to live in constant fear. The fear of the unknown," Aselia calmly answered, keeping her revenge-ridden gaze directed upon Phantom, not backing down from her position.

"Don’t be deceived by elves my son. They will only stab you in the back when you least expect...,"

The sentence never got completed, the rest of the words were muffled in his throat as blood gurgled out of his mouth. His icy blue eyes widened and he tightened his hold on Xiran’s face.

Aselia had shifted towards his back and stabbed his heart, the blood oozed out of his wound and the stake ensured it would never heal. His off-white shirt was drenched from the blood.

Aselia had gotten tired of his manipulative games, she knew he was only bidding time to turn Xiran against her, to plant a seed of doubt and no way in hell she was letting him come between herself and Xiran anymore.

"Just like that, you evil monster. That’s for my parents, that’s for hurting every innocent soul and that’s for hurting the love of my life and his mother," she shouted, taking out all her rage and frustration on him as she extracted the ruby stake and stabbed him again. Xiran held him in bewilderment. His mouth wide open seeing his father didn’t even attempt to fight back or stop her.

"Nooo, Leia! Wait," Xiran finally stepped out of his stupor and shouted, trying to stop Aselia with his free hand but she was beyond listening. He wanted to know if there was some other potential threat he was leaving behind. His father’s words were ominous and Xiran didn’t have a positive feeling from it. Knowing him, Xiran knew he always had a hidden agenda to ruin their lives.

"And that’s for ruining my life," she stabbed him one last time with full force, holding onto the metallic handle, she plunged it deep and Phantom’s heart which had been beating for centuries finally stopped.

The last beat of his heart lingered in the house where he was born and now was meeting his demise. The final beat died with a small ’ah’ that escaped him and those cold eyes finally dulled, staring with warmth one last time at his son and closed forever.

His body went limp and his hands fell on his sides and he dangled from his collar where Xiran was still holding him, not believing he was finally dead. He had dreamt of this over the years, planned it countless times, envisioned it and even foreseen it but now that he was finally gone Xiran was speechless.

His grip loosened and part of his father’s crumpled shirt slipped and his body tumbled on the floor with a small thud. A pool of blood formed underneath because of the hole Aselia left in his back.

A sense of satisfaction and triumph that should have washed over him never came.

"Is he dead? Like gone for real?" Xiran questioned more to himself, his gaze was transfixed as if he was in a trance. Just like Aselia, he had no parents now.

"I for sure hope so," Aselia spat out, the ruby stake slipped from her hand and cluttered on the floor, traces of his blood remained on her hands and she stared at them in disbelief with glazed-over eyes.

Her hands were shaking, she had finally killed the mass murderer, she had taken revenge for the entire elven race. But his story had left doubts even in her heart. Were elves as peaceful and kind-hearted as they have been portrayed?

This was supposed to bring her peace, this was supposed to calm her heart, she had done what she was destined to do and yet she wanted to cry. The roller coaster of emotions she had been through was proving to be too much.

"He was about to tell me something, Leia. You should have waited for my signal," Xiran finally lifted his glassy gaze to look at his girl. Who was standing deep in thought, almost lost, staring at her bloodied hands.

"He was trying to turn you against me," she spoke in a monotone with that forlorn look in her eyes as Xiran shifted from his spot and moved closer to her.

He held her chin and turned her head so she would look at him instead of his dead father and her hands.

"No one can do that. Him of all people, especially," he yanked her closer to his chest and rubbed her back. Xiran knew she had shut down her emotions and was barely holding on. She gasped as her frame collided with his and she melted in his robust arms.

His bare skin brought her comfort, nothing else could provide. The agitated heart soothed a notch.

"He wants to take you away from me, all of them do," she whispered against his bare skin, her eyes slowly closed, and she rested her ear where his heart was. It thumped loud and clear and filled her with much-needed calm.

"He is dead and no one can part us now," he soothed her, yet a gnawing feeling was tethered inside Xiran’s heart. His father must have done something to disrupt their lives. Even after he was gone, he was going to haunt them. Could they be free? He had instilled an irrational amount of fear in their hearts. Even with her in his arms, he couldn’t find the peace he sought and was sure Aselia stood won’t the same bridge as he did.

But he had to be there for her and put aside his apprehensions. Aselia was struggling and he had to ease her fears. He had his work cut out for him because her mental state was extremely fragile and it was only a passage of time before she would break or collapse.

"He is gone and I thought killing him would bring me the satisfaction I longed for. The revenge I had spent my whole life seeking is done and yet I don’t feel content. Why? Xiran, what’s wrong with us? Has he destroyed us to the point of no return?" She whimpered, wrapping her arms around his waist, her face buried in his chest.

"You have been through a lot. It’s just your mind trying to protect you. We will talk about this later because you need rest. Let’s go," Xiran comforted her in the gentlest of his voices and she finally lifted her head to watch him peering down at her with the utmost affection.

She nodded and took a step away from him. He bent down to pick up the diary he had dropped in his scuffle with his father and held it tightly as mixed emotions passed on his handsome face.

He so wanted to read it but only wanted to do it in peace. It held answers to his origin and he was hoping it would tell him something about their bond too.

Aselia picked up the ruby stake and after cleaning it in her pants, she pocketed it. Not wanting to part with it.

The door flew open in that instant and Rivan stumbled inside followed by Silver Wolf, who skidded so close to Rivan and prevented himself from colliding with his back.

Startled and bewildered their eyes travelled from a very different-looking, half-naked tattooed Xiran to a wounded lost Aselia and to finally a very much dead Phantom of this world. He lay there spread out in the crimsoned liquid with his arms stretched wide.

So many emotions played on the faces of both men who had just entered but the shock was the most prominent one and they gasped at the scene.