Blood & Carrots - Celestial Ep. 20

My teeth clenched as I glared back towards Lashimar who was showing me a snarl past my mother looming over him, then after a few seconds, there was a burst of radiant energy from the dagger. I saw an almost ethereal hand grasping the blade, the rest of the figure coming into view, transparent but slowly cohesing into solid view.

Charlotte gave a startled gasp as massive wings like Ryders fanned out from her back, her eyes wide, tears on her cheeks. Her blue eyes shuddered as reality settled in once more. She squeezed the blade in her grip, as if confused, then she sensed me as her eyes shot over to mine, her mouth parted slightly. "Lor..lai?"

I didn't think I'd get as emotional as I did but I felt tears come to my eyes to see her alive again. I choked back a sob and huffed out in my best cocky tone. "About time... you woke up." I showed her a grin.

She blinked upon me then I bleated out as she threw herself into my arms. I huffed as I nearly fell over from the wolf hugging tightly to me. "You... he's safe, you did it, didn't you?"

"Go to her, both of you." My mother calmly nodded to the Paladins and before I knew it I was wrapped up in a hug with all three of them.

"Ryder! Alicia! Thank the gods... thank the gods!" Charlotte sobbed out her thanks repeatedly as I managed to wriggle out of the embrace. Soon the other Archangels were all there, everyone elated to see their comrades again after so long.

Triallia once again hooked her arm with mine, casually walking me out of the fray. I frowned at the spirit as we moved back towards my waiting family members. "What happens now, Tri-" The words caught in my throat as I felt the overwhelming power fill the air.

The Ninetails snarled and everyone's focus shifted towards my mother and Lashimar. The power we felt was like that we felt when Hagen fell all those years ago, only magnified a thousandfold. The death of a truly powerful entity.

I shuddered as I looked upon my mother, her tongue lolled, blood dripping from it, the first of our kind still beneath her. My vision seemed to shake as if it was difficult just to even perceive her there. She stood with shaking legs and I watched Triallia draw her sword, the Ninetails was also quivering as if she were... afraid.

My whole family and all of the celestials but Charlotte, Ryder, and Alice drew weapons and readied themselves as well. The Elder shouldered the massive battle axe, staring down at Lashimar's body as it simply erupted to flames and burned away in a matter of heartbeats.

"Mother..." I whispered out to her, my feet had been in motion as she stood, everyone else seemingly frozen and just standing at the ready.

"Lorelai Tahmineh, my child... Do you remember our years together, do you... cherish them?" Her eyes were now white-hot like Lashimar's had been at his full fury. I swallowed hard at the question and gave her a nod.

We were still nearly a dozen yards apart and she simply ceased to be and was before me, a hand on my cheek, her gaze looking hard into my own. I could see the madness in her eyes, see the struggle of trying to contain what she had taken. "Lashimar would not have stopped, he was mad my child... so mad... I know because now it burns in me, it is of course, the origin point of my child's suffering that you sought to undo."

"Mother! What are you saying?!" I bleated out, grabbing the front of her armor, pulling her closer as I felt my vision blur.

"It is well, I can hold it for a time, while I do, you should be done with it..." Her hand caressed my cheek, tears rolling off her fingers as I shivered. "You will be the new first-generation, my daughter. Let the old ways die here."

"No! Y-You... You said our story wasn't done! You were included in that! You can't just-" She put a finger to my lips.

"It is fine my child... it is a mother's duty to protect her children. I will not heal as my father did. Plunge the bloodsteel into my heart and be free of these shackles of our lineage."

"I- I most certainly will not! I will not repay all you've done and given to me with death! We had this discussion before!" I screamed the words pushing her off me as my teeth showed in a snarl.

She sneered as she clenched her fist. "Then you condemn all of our kind to death, Lorelai Tahmineh! This is not the same thing as then, once the madness fully takes me soon, I will-"

"Shut up." Alice interrupted her as she stepped forward and grabbed my hand as my mother gave her a shocked look. I blinked wide as I then felt Ryder grasp my other. I gasped as I saw who he was holding hands with as well.

"Alice, no!" I screamed out right as the rabbit showed me a grin and grabbed my mother's hand, everything ceasing to be.

I hope you've enjoyed this episode, my lovely reader!

I'm not going to lie, I kick my tail writing these! A single episode can take me twelve to fifteen hours or longer to make after conception, writing, editing, and proofreading! If you enjoy this, support me, please? Vote, Fave, Comment, offer feedback, or anything else. Thank you, and as always, I'm nothing without your support!