PRESENT DAY
Asher stood frozen, his emerald eyes wide with disbelief as Ava finished recounting her tale—the story of how she, alone, had defeated the gods. Not mortals. Not demi-gods. But deities. Fallen by her hand.
It wasn't just a story. It was legend.
Just how powerful was she? Could her strength even rival his?
"No," came Ava's quiet reply, interrupting his thoughts as if she'd read them.
Asher blinked, clearly startled. "I... I don't understand. Can you hear my thoughts?"
Ava tilted her head slightly, her glowing eyes soft with empathy but layered with ancient wisdom. "Despite being a goddess reincarnated, Asher, I am nothing compared to you. You... you're a divine being in your truest form. Almost angelic—if not an angel itself."
Her voice was calm, but resolute. "I may not know where I rank in the divine hierarchy, but I know this much: I can't defeat you. You carry pure celestial energy—heaven's breath itself flows through your veins. How could I ever hope to stand against that? Against one who was crafted in the light before the first star blinked?"
Her modesty caught Asher off guard. He couldn't help but grin faintly, despite the weight of their mission. Her ascension had changed her—her aura now shone with a blinding light, even when she stood still. It wasn't just power she radiated; it was purpose. Destiny.
But he hadn't forgotten what brought them here. They were searching for their friends. Rescuing them from a place now swallowed in darkness.
Together, they arrived at what once was the sacred garden of Paradise High. Now, the once-luminous expanse was reduced to a haunted ruin veiled in an unnatural fog. The mist coiled thickly around the land, opaque and suffocating. Asher squinted but couldn't make out anything through the veil.
A shadow emerged before the fog's entrance. Asher's hand instantly flared with light, ready to strike, but then the figure turned.
It was Harlan.
The very same man who, according to Ava's earlier narration, had betrayed them. He had handed Ava and Slyvia to their enemies. A friend turned traitor.
"I see you found him," Harlan said with a fake, flat smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Asher's jaw clenched. His fingers twitched with restrained fury.
"Enough, Harlan," Ava said bluntly, cutting through the air like a blade. "Drop the fake smile. We're not here to rekindle old friendships. We're here to save our people. So let's get to work."
Harlan's smile faltered. He clearly hadn't expected that—especially not from Ava. Yes, he had betrayed them, but he'd assumed time or necessity might have softened the wound. It hadn't.
Asher smirked, relishing the discomfort painted across Harlan's face.
"Ava, what's the plan?" Asher asked, then added coldly, "And are you sure we should keep him around? Who knows who he's working for now."
He said it loudly, intentionally, not caring if Harlan heard. In Asher's eyes, the man was a parasite. One that should've been torn out from the roots—but if Ava needed him for now, then so be it. He'd play along. Temporarily.
Ava nodded. "It's okay, Asher. Harlan's still useful—for now. The fog doesn't affect humans like it does us. He'll scout ahead and report what he sees."
Asher groaned under his breath but didn't protest further. He gave her a look. Let's just do this. Time is not on our side.
The air was heavy with doom. The clouds above had twisted into dark, unnatural forms, obscuring the daylight. Shadows danced across the ground, and silence hung where there should've been the laughter and chatter of students.
After Aaron's dire proclamation, no one dared to step outside anymore. Fear had blanketed the world. What humanity didn't know was that their greatest nightmare—Lamia and his cursed disciples—had already breached Paradise. And they were hunting for the dragons.
Ava gestured for Harlan to move.
"You know what to do," she said simply. "Go in. Tell us what you see. Who's alive, who isn't."
Harlan's expression turned grim. He twitched as though he wanted to protest, but instead he grunted and stepped into the fog without another word. Silence fell thickly between Ava and Asher as they watched his form vanish into the mist.
Asher felt the pain building in his chest again. Death loomed around him.
His sister... She wasn't who he thought she was.
He was bound—betrothed—to a siren. A dark one. One who had marked him and whispered of waiting for him in the shadows.
And Ezekiel... the image of his brutal death haunted Asher like a curse. He prayed it had all been an illusion, a cruel trick of the mind. Because the truth? The truth would shatter him.
Then there was Jeremy. Sweet, perfect Jeremy, who had once envisioned a future free of all things "tainted." The boy who swore he'd never fall for another man. Yet in the final moment, he'd confessed his love—to Asher.
And Asher... he hadn't been unmoved.
Even now, the memory tugged at something deep. Torn between his sister, who had once loved him with fierce devotion, and Jeremy, whose confession had rewritten Asher's entire understanding of their bond.
A love triangle formed in the ruins of a collapsing world.
Before he could spiral further, Ava's voice broke through the silence.
"I saw Emily's soul."
Asher turned to her, confused. "She's alive?"
"She was," Ava said. "And now she is again. I gave her soul another chance. I transferred it into the body of a dying girl. Emily has returned."
His eyes widened. "Why? What did she do to deserve that?"
Ava's gaze hardened. "She was the one behind Luna's death."
The words struck Asher like thunder. His legs buckled slightly. Tears welled in his eyes, his flawless ivory skin shimmering with grief.
"Emily?" he whispered. "No... No, not Emily."
"She also tried to kill Slyvia. The chandelier incident? It wasn't an accident."
Asher gasped loudly. "That conniving wench! I knew she was suspicious. I should've trusted my instincts. Luna... oh gods, Luna…"
Tears now streamed freely down his face.
"But wasn't Luna's death supernatural? Emily had no powers—or did she?"
"She was possessed by Abigail at one point," Ava confirmed. "But that doesn't explain everything. Some of Emily's actions were her own. And I'm starting to believe she isn't human. Not entirely. She doesn't even realize it, but I feel it—her energy. It's... strange. She's not what she thinks she is."
"Then why bring her back?" Asher demanded. "Why not let her rot in hell?"
Ava smirked, not unkindly. "Because we need her. I've been planning ever since I left the stone chamber. Emily will help us win this war. One way or another."
Just then, a sickening sound ripped through the air.
A loud thud echoed as Harlan stumbled back from the fog, vomiting blood.
Both Ava and Asher rushed toward him.
"I found Jeremy," Harlan gasped, blood staining his lips. "His body's intact, but his eyes… pure white. He's... not himself. Ezekiel... his body's already decomposing. And Rose, Slyvia... they're gone."
Asher collapsed.
Gone?
His sister—vanished. Ezekiel—dead. Decomposing.
"No!" Asher screamed, agony tearing from his throat as he jumped up and sprinted into the fog, ignoring Ava's calls behind him.
"Damn it, Asher! I told you to be patient!" Ava cursed under her breath.
But there was no time.
She clenched her fists, her chest glowing with holy light as she stepped forward, facing the mist with unflinching resolve.
"You demons lurking in shadows," she whispered. "You think you can break us. You think you can twist fate."
Her voice rose, echoing across the land like thunder.
"But I—Ava, Daughter of Celestial Fire—cast you back to hell!"
With that, a radiant burst of divine energy exploded from her chest, surging into the fog like a wave of cleansing flame.
A monstrous roar erupted from the mist, shaking the ground, the trees, and the very fabric of reality.