ADELAIDE STARLIGHT


    The dim light from the crystal lamps bathed the healing chambers with a soft, ethereal glow. The scent of medicinal herbs and ancient magic permeated the air, mixing with the metallic smell of blood and sweat. In the center of the room, on a white marble bed carved with intricate designs of leaves and flowers, lay the small body of Arceus, motionless and pale as freshly fallen snow.


    This wasn''t the boy I remembered. He had lost so much weight, his skin stretched tightly over bones like twigs. The child''s eyes, open but unseeing, were sunken into deep black sockets. He looked like a leaf, as if a breath of wind could carry him to the grave. But beneath the fragile cage of broken ribs, his chest rose and fell with each weak breath.


    I was kneeling beside the bed, my trembling hands caressing my youngest son''s face. My blue eyes, normally bright and defiant, were now dim and reddened by the searing pain I felt at this moment. My long silver hair, usually immaculate and perfect, fell in messy strands over my shoulders, some stuck to my wet cheeks. I wanted to scream, wanted this to be a nightmare from which I would soon wake up.


    How did we get here? How could I let this happen? The thoughts spun in my mind like a relentless whirlwind. My little Arceus, so brave, so full of life... and now...


    I felt a strong, warm hand on my shoulder. Atlas was standing behind me, his normally comforting presence now seeming like a cruel mockery of the failure we both felt.


    —Darling... —his voice, normally firm and confident, sounded uncertain and hesitant— Can I see my wife''s beautiful face?


    I didn''t respond, my heart beating faster with each selfish thought, pumping anger and resentment through me until I just wanted to stand up and scream.


    I hadn''t spoken to Atlas since Anastasia died. I had seen him a couple of times, but this was the first time he was close enough to talk to, and suddenly I realized I was overflowing with things I wanted to tell him.


    —You need to rest, you''ve been here for days.


    Nothing you say here will change anything, Adelaide, I told myself through gritted teeth. Shouting and cursing at Atlas won''t solve anything...


    I looked up at him, his long white hair falling loose and unkempt over his broad shoulders. The dark circles under his eyes revealed that he hadn''t slept in days either.


    —Rest? —my voice came out as a hoarse whisper, loaded with bitterness— How can I rest when our son is... is...?


    I couldn''t finish the sentence. The words caught in my throat, forming a knot that threatened to choke me. Instead, I turned my attention back to Arceus, my fingers gently tracing the lines of his childish face, so serene in his forced sleep.


    The silence in the room was deafening.


    —Darling, the healers say his body is recovering. The Divine tree leaf is taking effect. He just needs time.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Time. That word echoed in my mind like a cruel mockery. Time was what we had lacked to save Anastasia. Time was what now slipped through my fingers while Arceus remained motionless.


    I slowly stood up, my numb legs protesting the sudden movement after hours of immobility. I turned to Atlas, my eyes meeting his once again.


    —Time? —I spat the word as if it were poison— And what good did time do us when Anastasia needed us? Where were you, the great Atlas Pendragon, when our daughter...? —My voice broke as I wiped an angry tear with the back of my hand.


    He shuddered but remained silent, infuriating me further. I saw pain cross his face, mixed with guilt that reflected my own.


    —I couldn''t, Adelaide. I''m sorry. I''m so sorry. —Atlas''s crimson eyes bore into mine, his gaze pleading and hopeful, yet conflicted.


    —You were the only one conscious! —I shouted, my voice growing louder as I pressed on—. The only one who could have saved her! How could you let her...?


    The words caught in my throat, replaced by a heart-wrenching sob that shook my entire body. I fell to my knees, my hands covering my face as tears flowed uncontrollably.


    I felt Atlas''s strong arms around me, his body trembling with his own contained sobs, softly kissing the top of my head over and over.


    Memories flooded my mind: the day Anastasia was born, her first smile, her first steps, the first time she used magic... The memories of her childhood pierced through my head like red-hot iron stakes.


    My shoulders shook as I sobbed, unable to speak. My hands were trembling and I was breathing in gasps. The pain was so intense I felt like I was drowning.


    It was unbearable... It was heartbreaking.


    I didn''t know my heart could hurt so much. I clutched my chest, unable to bear the self-destructive state of my emotions.


    Tears ran down my cheeks and blurred my vision. I couldn''t breathe as the torrent of emotions continued to surge within me.


    A rage that burned like a forest fire, a pain that flooded and drowned everything in its path, a corrosive guilt that made the earth itself tremble and a regret that destroyed and tore down years and years of hard work and development like a hurricane.


    I could feel these emotions, which seemed like natural disasters wreaking havoc inside my heart, tearing apart my sanity.


    With my heart shattered, far from the anger, pain, loss, and other emotions trying to make their way inside me, I began to sob softly.


    We sat like that for a while until my sobs turned into dry moans.


    —I''m sorry —he whispered over and over, he clenched his jaw as he lowered his gaze, but when he spoke, he was frustratingly calm—. I killed our daughter, I know. It was my fault! I''m so sorry, Adelaide. If I could change things, if I could...


    But he couldn''t. None of us could. Anastasia was gone, and Arceus was trapped in a sleep from which we didn''t know if he would wake up. Our family, once strong and united, was now shattered.


    How could I fail them? I''m their mother, I was supposed to protect them. What kind of princess, what kind of mother am I?


    —Don''t you hate me? —I could barely hear his whisper.


    Practically trembling with rage, hot tears once again running down my cheeks, I opened my mouth to say something, to curse him, to empty my anger on him, but the words died in my throat. I wanted to hate him so much, but I simply couldn''t.


    I couldn''t hate him, because I had loved him. I had loved him so much that I didn''t want to hate him. I didn''t want to be the one to destroy what was left of my family.


    —How could I hate you? I love you but... I miss her so much, Atlas.


    Atlas clenched his jaw tightly, forcing himself to stay strong in front of me. —I know, darling. I miss her too.


    I was the one who had ordered Anastasia to protect Arceus. I kept trying to find people to blame, but those who were really at fault would soon be killed in a fight that was beyond my capabilities. Vengeance would soon be taken.


    Now, all that was left was this dark hole of emptiness and regret. The only thing keeping Atlas and me sane was our son. For this child, Arceus, I had to endure it. I wasn''t going to make the same mistake I had made with Anastasia. She was just a child, but I sent her to protect my younger son against fully trained Ascendants. I had no one to blame but myself.


    I didn''t remember much of the rest of the night. Maybe I didn''t want to remember how I was overwhelmed by the raw and unknown emotions that were tearing me apart.