Concentrate on your fight, Hunter. Don’t you dare focus on me. I’ll kill you if you die on me,Freja growled at him through their mindlink.
Hunter chuckled in his mind.You’re going to kill me if I die?He eyed the demons closing in on Freja.I love you. Don’t you dare die on me,he said quickly as Leoric charged at him again.
Freja all but scoffed but quit communicating with Hunter so he could focus. She looked up at the demons and raised her daggers around her protectively. Hell was coming to greet her, so she had to give them a proper introduction. As Hunter and Leoric collided again, Freja began a vicious battle of her own, one where the numbers were not on her side.
At the start of the battle, Levi had taken to the sky, flying over the demon army with his sights set on the monster waiting for him. He landed in front of Mephisto, who smirked at him confidently. Their two auras clashed against one another, creating a small ripple of energy through the area.
“Well, if it isn’t one of the blessed children who belongs to the skies. Look at you, down in the dirt with the dogs,” Mephisto said coolly.
“If it isn’t one of the earth’s eyesores above ground, seeking the sun's love,” Levi said as he narrowed his eyes on Mephisto.
“Oh, no no no.” Mephisto let out a low, sinister cackle. “I’m not here seeking the sun's love.” A cruel smile played over his monstrous face. “I’m here seeking your fairy’s warmth.”
Levi snarled at him and whipped his tail down angrily. A thunderous sound cracked in the air, and waves of debris scattered around it. “You will not touch what is mine. And I’m going to kill you for uttering those words.”
“Kill me?” Mephisto said condescendingly. “You? Kill me? I see you come equipped with a sense of humor. Too bad that won’t do you any good when it comes to actually fighting.”
“What exactly do you think you’re doing? What do you think you can actually accomplish here?” Levi shook his head. If the demon did accomplish what he wanted, the world would be in ruins. It would turn dark, basically like an upper version of hell. It wouldn’t be the world as it is now.
“You don’t get it. That’s okay. I’ll take a moment to enlighten you. You’re thinking the world up here will change. And indeed, it will. Some. However, I plan to change how it works. By keeping the fairy princess, I will create a new race of the earth's little protectors. The world will revolve differently under their power. Oh, I’m sure you understand exactly how I plan to create this new race.” Mephisto grinned smugly as he provoked the deity in front of him.
“I wish I could put this moment on a continuous loop. One where you will feel me killing you over and over again. You could have gotten away with a lot, and I wouldn’t have cared. But you had to set your gaze on what is mine. MY fairy. And for that … you will drown in your own blood. For my fairy, I would destroy the world without even hesitating. Your biggest miscalculation was thinking she was someone you could obtain.” Levi slammed his tail into the ground as blue energy began to swarm around him. “I will not show you any leniency.”
“Perfect. Why don’t you come and show me what you’ve got?” Mephisto’s cruel smile spread even further, seeing the anger building up in Leviathan. It wasn’t that the dragon deity wasn’t strong. Oh, he was strong, and a formidable opponent. However,Mephisto had something cruel up his sleeves. Literally. He had stolen a vial of the sands of time centuries ago.
Originally, he planned to use it against Selene. He had planned to use it to freeze her momentarily so he could confine her. However, trying to capture someone with one of the greatest powers of premonition turned out to be impossible. Now, though, he could use it to freeze Leviathan. He would only have a few moments, but that would be all he needed to kill the deity.
The blue dragon’s wings lifted and spread widely, pulsating forward, creating a powerful gust that surged toward Mephisto. At the same time, Levi sprung forward, attacking the demon head-on, confused at first by how Mephisto only grinned as he got closer. Realizing something was wrong, he went to pull away, but it was too late. Mephisto leaped forward and tossed a tiny glass vial that shattered over the blue dragon.
Lee’s body froze in place. His blue eyes watched the original demon glower over him as he prepared to strike.
I’m sorry, Reiya,Levi thought as he closed his eyes.Forgive me.
Days before the war …
Levi stood in a marble building looking up at the sky. The blackness was lit up by the fiery lights that peppered it. Quiet footsteps approached at his side, soft echoes that finally stopped beside him.
“You know, I should rip you apart for interfering with my mate’s life,” Levi snarled lowly under his breath.
“Of course, you wouldn’t have her as a mate if it wasn’t for me,” Selene said softly.
“Instead, you task her with going into this abysmal black hole, which you know nothing about, because its very nature blocks you.” Levi turned his head to see her small frown. “What is that look for?”
“Your lives have been linked because of the Ocean’s Tear. There is another future I have seen—you might be killed in this war.” Selene looked up at Levi. “And if you die, Reiya dies.” She watched as his lips pressed tightly together. “I can temporarily unlink you during the battle.”
He gazed at her in shock.
Selene smiled. “Whose tear do you think that was? Those were my tears for Endymion, my magic. My gift. I can unlink you so that if you fall, she doesn’t. Yes, I’m being selfish and doing this for myself. But I’m giving you the choice.”
Levi chuckled and looked up at the sky. “You know how angry she would be if I did something like that? At the same time—” He shook his head. “I can’t allow her to die. If by unlinking our lives, it guarantees hers … do it.” He closed his eyes tightly.
Selene nodded her head. “Reiya will not die. Her lifeline is now clear with this decision. Good luck to you. It isn’t over, Leviathan. So fight with everything you have.”
“It isn’t over, huh? Who else will fight against Mephisto with me gone?” His cool blue eyes pierced her. “Are you planning on having Endymion come back and defeat him?”
Selene simply smiled. “Mephisto will die. But by whose hands? That remains to be seen.”
“Promise me … you’ll keep my fairy safe.” Levi looked over at Selene, his chest aching. He felt the sting in his eyes. “Loving her, even for this short amount of time, was worth everything. I just need to know she’ll be okay.”
