The Royal Mark-Chapter 363: Three Sacrifices
Chris frowned and stared at the goddess, perplexed by her words and unable to fully comprehend them. "I don’t think I understand what you are saying. Are you telling me that I should ask you to save three lives, including mine?"
Instead of answering directly, the goddess laughed loudly once more. "You dream big, werewolf. My answer is both yes and no. Yes, you should ask for three lives, but no, it is not your life. Listen carefully to the life inside your wife’s belly."
Chris slowly bent down and gently placed Elsa on the ground. He moved his head closer to her lower abdomen. Although his true alpha senses were already becoming dull because of the hecatolite, they were still as good as those of normal werewolves.
As he listened carefully, his eyes widened before swiftly looking up at the goddess.
"T-There are t-two h-heartbeats. Oh God!" Chris stammered, covering his face with both hands. He wailed loudly, pouring out the sadness and pain in his heart as if a thousand needles were stabbing it.
The goddess remained silent, waiting for him to finish. When he did, he walked on his knees to the goddess’ feet and kneeled in front of her, ready to beg and do anything she might ask in return.
"I beg you, please, save my wife and children. I will do anything... Anything! You can take my soul, my life, my kingdom. You can take everything I have, just please save them..." Chris pleaded, his voice breaking before he began to weep again.
His heart ached so intensely that it felt like it would soon stop. He could no longer breathe properly or speak. All he could do was let out the overwhelming emotions that threatened to explode inside him.
"There is something I could do without taking anything from you or harming anyone. Three lives require three sacrifices..." the goddess said.
Chris instantly stopped sobbing upon hearing this, feeling a glimmer of hope and anticipation.
"What is it? Tell me, please. I will do anything..." Chris urged.
"In exchange for your children’s lives, I will take Elsa’s power and memory of you. This means she will no longer be a mage, she will lose her wings. She will not remember anything that happened when she met you. She will forget anything that is related to you," the goddess said.
Chris ran his hand from his forehead down to his mouth and sighed deeply, contemplating the goddess’ words. After a moment, he nodded and said, "I accept. I can live with that, we all can live with that, including her parents and family in Zemaria. She won’t be the only powerless human in Vectus.
She lived as an ordinary human in Novus before, working as a doctor. Even without her powers and memories of me, she can still use her skills as a doctor here in Vectus. She’s my mate, and I can just introduce myself to her again. We can start anew, no problem with that, and that’s far better than losing her."
"I am not done yet, werewolf. Listen to my last requirement before you get ahead of yourself," the goddess warned. She continued, "In exchange for your wife’s life, she cannot stay here in Vectus. She must return to Novus, where she was born, and continue her life as an ordinary human. You must stay here as the sole heir of the Jorgensen Clan and King of Arcanis. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
She will resume her life from the day she met you on the road in the middle of the forest in her hometown. However, she will not remember the face or name of the man she accidentally hit and fell in love with. She will have no recollection of the father of her children. Her life in Vectus and experiences with you will feel like a bad dream, never a reality.
However, she can take your son with her. A child needs his mother, after all. I also have no dominion over her father, Seraphim Nathaniel. He can choose to join Elsa in Novus if he wishes, which I know he will surely do."
Chris stared at the goddess while on his knees, stunned and completely frozen. His tears continued to flow from his eyes like a fast-flowing stream. He was speechless, he didn’t know what to say or how to react.
He was happy that his wife and children would be able to live but he could not imagine living in Vectus without them. Rocco and his unborn twins will grow up without a father and Elsa has to raise them alone.
He would never ever see them again, he wouldn’t even see what his twins would look like or what is their gender. He will not be able to see his children grow and he will not be able to grow old with his mate.
At that moment, his dreams were shattered into pieces. He couldn’t even feel his own heartbeat. Memories of all the happy times with Elsa and Rocco flooded his mind as if he were reliving them in his final moments.
In his mind, he envisioned Elsa’s red hair fluttering in the wind, her amber eyes gazing at him with joyous smiles. Rocco’s sweet, high-pitched giggles echoed in his ears. Since Rocco’s birth, they hadn’t had the opportunity to explore the beautiful places in Arcanis due to the challenges they faced.
They didn’t even have a family portrait that Chris could cherish once they left Vectus. What if his mind gradually forgot their faces over time? What if Elsa met someone who wanted to marry her and become a father figure to his children?
Chris couldn’t articulate the pain, sorrow, fear, and desperation overwhelming him. He wanted to scream and obliterate everything around him, but he was utterly drained of strength. He couldn’t lift a finger or muster a single word to plead with the goddess to reconsider her demand. At that moment, he wished he had never been born then perhaps he wouldn’t be in this pain. He wouldn’t have crossed paths with Elsa, and her life wouldn’t be in danger.
